


The Adventures of Fluffy and Dingus

by savagebinn



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Character Development, Dom/sub Undertones, Domestic Fluff, Dramedy, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Mild Kink, Multi, Past Child Abuse, Phobias, Pokemon Journey, Redemption, Romance, Size Difference, Slice of Life, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2020-02-09 13:12:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18638806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savagebinn/pseuds/savagebinn
Summary: Warning: It is strongly recommended that you readFluffyfirst, as these will contain heavy spoiler content!





	1. Moonrise

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! This will be a collection of supplemental side stories and extra content for Fluffy. We'll get to see some character backstories and extra scenes that didn't make it into the main story for time or flow reasons, but are canon to and occur at various points before and within it. The lengths, ratings and tones of these chapters will vary quite a bit, from innocent to smutty, silly to serious, but I'm hoping they'll all serve their purpose to enhance the story and these characters I've come to love so much.
> 
> This chapter occurs nineteen years before the events of Fluffy.

"Troops! We may be outnumbered, we may even lose our lives, but when you're out there in the trenches, just remember... We have the power of whole grain oats on our side!"

A little girl, no more than three, was sitting in the middle of a dingy carpet floor, with what looked to be dozens of tiny, o-shaped objects lined up meticulously in front of her. Across from her was a Linoone with various coins, bits and bobs placed in front of it in a similar manner. The normal type's neck was adorned with a rhinestone-studded collar, now missing several stones, that read 'Duchess' on the tag, and despite its namesake, the normally-slender pokemon was visibly obese. Its sharp fangs flashed momentarily as it yawned, revealing a generous amount of brown staining near the gumline before moving in to lick up the sugary cereal bits.

"Ack! They've gone on the offensive! Quick, Pinsir formation! ...Duch _eeesss_ don't eat **all** of them!"

The child's plea fell on deaf, furry ears as the few remaining pieces were licked up, and the pokemon placed its head in the girl's lap, closing its blue, slitted eyes. She sighed, running a hand across its striped coat while her attention returned to the small television flickering in front of her, as it always did.

It was a documentary. Old black and white footage of a time long passed showed a battle playing out as human troops and their pokemon clashed together in a fight to the finish while an older, scholarly-looking man provided commentary for the scene, critiquing their movements and going over how the winning side was able to defeat the opposing army despite being vastly outnumbered. While it was educational in context, and the footage grainy enough to spare the more gruesome details, it was still hardly age-appropriate. The young girl wasn't fazed, though. Like so many others on the odd channel it was left on, she'd seen it countless times, and had it memorized word-for-word, scene-for-scene. She reached into the cereal box and began lining up the pieces once more before her attention turned to the door when a commotion was heard outside.

"Ma'am, if you don't do something about the smell, I'm going to have to-"

"Would you get off my ass already?! It's not _my_ problem this place was a **shithole** when I got here!"

The door swung open. The woman who entered and slammed the door behind her was, despite her ugly words, quite beautiful, if a bit thin-looking, and appeared to be in her thirties. Her ruby-red lipstick, blue eyes and porcelain skin framed by long, dark hair were a striking combination, and together with her buxom figure, body-hugging outfit and pumps, was the very image of a femme fatale.

The child stood up in a panic, earning a small noise of protest from the pokemon that had been resting comfortably on her lap. She usually had more warning to hide herself before her mother's 'guests' arrived, but was slightly relieved to realize that no one had followed her.

The woman didn't so much as regard her child before she hunkered down on the tiny kitchen's tile floor, tied an elastic around her arm and retrieved a syringe from her purse. Moon immediately turned away, squeezing her eyes shut. She didn't know what the strange object was nor why her mother stuck it in her arm; what she did know was how unpredictable she could become after doing so.

Cursing to herself at the initial sting and irritation from the previous conflict, she discarded the syringe and plucked a cigarette from her pocket, which she lit and drew to her lips. A few moments passed, and her eyes slowly grew dilated, the tv in the background the only thing breaking the ominous silence before a cough was heard, bringing her out of her drug-induced trance. She stood up and entered the small living room, passing Moon and heading towards the couch when a crunching sound emanated from beneath her heel-clad sole. She raised her foot, glaring at the sugary powder that was now thoroughly crushed into both her shoe and the carpet. Her clicked as she stared at the offending, colorful dust before shrieking angrily, causing both the child and pokemon beneath her to flinch.

"That's it! I can't handle this anymore!" she rambled, pacing the room, muttering and repeating herself before harshly grabbing Moon's arm and dragging her to her feet. Duchess hissed in protest, grabbing the child's free sleeve and tugging in the opposite direction before its owner's foot collided harshly with her jaw. The normal type whined, bringing its paws up to her sore mouth while Moon was whisked out of the apartment.

 

* * *

 

An older man with thick, bushy eyebrows, a grey beard and ample wrinkles sat at his desk, briskly jotting down numbers with his pen when a frantic knocking was heard. He rarely had visitors, so it was with great confusion and a healthy dose of suspicion that he willed himself to sit up, an audible crack emanating from his back as he did so before he made his way to the door.

"Got any booze?"

His eyes shot open upon seeing his long-missing daughter. He stuttered, mouth agape before speaking in an outraged tone. "You disappear for years without a word, and **_that's_** what you have to say to me?!"

She ignored the elderly man's indignant protests as she let herself in and rummaged through his shelves. He was nearly in tears as he watched before noticing something out of the corner of his eye. A small child stood awkwardly in the threshold, glancing into the house. Her long, dark hair was matted beyond recognition, her clothing ill-fitting and soiled. She scarcely looked human.

"What in Arceus' name..." he whispered in a shaky voice.

"Funny thing about that, Daddy," the woman spoke, deftly pulling out the cork with her teeth and taking a swig before continuing with a sardonic smile. "you were right. I _can't_ seem to manage things all on my own, so I thought I'd take you up on your offer and leave it with you," she finished, dropping the bottle into her purse and brushing past Moon as she made her way out the door, heading for the black car waiting in the street.

"SELENE!" he called out angrily.

She didn't look back, simply raised a hand in a brief, final wave before getting into her cab, which drove out of sight. It was the last either would see of her.

He balled his fists, doing his best to calm himself in front of the child.

"What's your name?"

"Moon, sir."

"How old are you?"

"Three years, one month, sir."

The old man regarded her curiously. The child was both small and oddly well-spoken for her age, but her way of interacting with others was the strangest thing of all.

"...Well I must say you're certainly, er, different, kiddo," he grumbled out, scratching the back of his head as he struggled to find his words without being insulting.

"Is that bad?" she asked worriedly.

The stern-looking man, for the first time since they'd met, cracked a toothy grin at the young girl before responding. "Not at all."

It seemed his smile was infectious, as for the first time since her arrival, Moon, too, broke out in a big, toothy grin matching his own, with one troubling difference.

Peering at her closer and adjusting his thick glasses, the elderly man squinted slightly as his gaze fell on her smile. He knelt down in front of the young girl, startling her slightly as he pushed her lip aside to peer into her mouth, instructing her to open it. Moon did as she was told, and the man above her clicked his tongue in disgust.

"Arceus, your teeth are rotting out of your face," he remarked with a mixture of anger, repulsion and sympathy in his voice, when his old eyes were finally drawn to the next glaring issue at hand. "And your hair... What was she thinking?"

Moon's hair was, indeed, in quite a state. Though past her shoulders, it was severely matted, greasy, and had an unpleasant odor; a mixture of cigarette smoke, pokemon musk, and what one could only expect when a human hadn't been bathed.

"Bathroom's down the hall to your left. Take it you know how to go on your own?" he asked gruffly, dearly hoping the strange child did.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Moon responded determinedly, holding a hand to her forehead in salute and marching determinedly toward the loo before he stopped her.

"Er, that's fine, I don't need a demonstration... But that's good. Now, I'm afraid today's simply been too much for this old man to process. I'll set you up on the couch for tonight, then tomorrow we'll go out and see about fixing you up."

"Yes, sir."

"One more thing. Call me grandpa."

"Yes si-... Um... Grandpa."

 

* * *

 

The night passed without incident. It was around noon the next day. Moon's grandfather had managed to secure some clean clothes with the help of a neighbor, who had a grandson of similar age living in Floaroma Town. They were a little big on her, and he was buttoning up the thick outer coat when she pulled the hood back down.

"Ah, better keep that on, kiddo."

"Why? It's hard to see..."

He paused, not having the heart or time to explain that her current appearance would cause a scene before dawning a sly grin. "It's a mission."

The child's eyes widened at that. "An undercover mission?!"

"You got it! So keep that hood up, soldier!"

"Sir, yes Sir!"

 

* * *

 

As the two walked through the city, Moon was taken aback by the number of people. In reality, Snowpoint was a fairly thinly-populated area, but for someone who'd only ever had one person and pokemon in their lives for frame of reference, it may as well have been Lumiose City. There were so many faces; kind, older faces that smiled at her as she passed them by. She took notice of another trait in particular: the many white heads of hair, for those who still had hair, at least. She found the color somehow appealing, like fluffy clouds, and longed to reach out and touch them, but the child's short stature, along with her grandfather holding her hand as he guided her along, prevented Moon from doing so.

"Aibek!"

Moon's grandfather flinched slightly upon hearing his name being hollered cheerfully from behind, and the child did her best to look over her shoulder to see the source of the voice: yet another elderly man, this one bald, but with a glorious mustache that put most Stoutland to shame, was waving to them from behind a wooden gate. He sighed before turning and walking towards the bald man.

"Keep your hood up," he spoke under his breath, and Moon nodded, saluting as they made their way to the fenced in area. Behind the hairless man was a massive pokemon, which appeared to be made of solid ice. Its body was wide, flat on top and low to the ground, with short, thick legs that emitted a muffled stomp with each step it took through the snow. It had a large plow fastened in front of it, which it was easily pushing along.

"Ah... Hey there, Jerry," Aibek grumbled out, sounding mildly irritated.

"Hey to you, too, you old hermit! When are you gonna visit me and the wife again? It's always work, work, work with you," he chided the other man. "At least stay for dinner again sometime. You're gonna start growing mold if you stay locked up in that house any lon-" he paused, finally taking notice of the tiny, third person among them. "Well hello, there! Who's this?" he asked.

"Granddaughter..."

"Oh? What's your name?" he asked, turning his attention to the young girl and kneeling to her level as much as his old bones would allow.

"Moon, sir," the child responded.

"Well now, she definitely doesn't get her manners from you!" he chuckled, glancing over to Aibek, who grumbled irritably as Moon's attention was once again drawn to the large pokemon plowing the area.

"You like that big lug?" Jerry asked curiously, pointing behind him with his thumb and finding it strange that the child appeared so entranced by such an ordinary sight. Moon nodded eagerly with wide eyes, and he laughed, turning to face the sizable creature. "Oi, Avalugg! Over here!" he called out, and said pokemon began making its way to the group of humans at a leisurely pace, stopping just in front of the bald man, who unhooked the apparatus from its thick neck. Up close, its sheer size was a bit intimidating. While wider than tall, the crystalline creature still towered over Moon, standing nearly as tall as the adults. The hooded girl shyly extended a small hand, briefly making contact with its pointed snout, when she recoiled. The creature's body was as cold as ice, perhaps even colder, if that were possible. The mustached man chuckled at her reaction, and Moon looked briefly discouraged before looking back up at the massive creature, dawning a determined expression and reaching out yet again. Though an intense sensation, she'd been expecting the cold this time, and did her best to ignore it and focus on the pokemon's reaction. It tilted its large head to the side, letting out a deep rumble of contentment as the child scratched behind one of its dangling, diamond-shaped ears. She was brought back to attention when he spoke again.

"Do you know what this place is?"

Moon glanced over the freshly-plowed area. It spanned about an acre, with various items set up along the premises, including a tire swing, several empty troughs of varying heights, and a pond, which was obviously heated, as it was the only outside, standing water not frozen solid. A small cabin stood nearby, with a large wooden sign that read, 'Berry & Jerry's Therapeutic Daycare'.

"Tha.. ther.. thera... putic.. daycare?"

"Wha?! She can read?!"

"A little..." the child responded bashfully, averting her eyes and blushing as both men looked at her with shell shocked expressions as she went on to answer his question. "A place for, um, babies?"

"That's right! But not just any babies. My wife and I have been taking care of pokemon eggs and hatchlings for almost fifty years now!"

"Wooow... You're so old!" Moon spoke, sounding both impressed and completely oblivious to how rude her remark was. Jerry blinked, taken off guard, while Aibek cackled.

"Our next clutch is due to hatch any day now. You can come visit any time. I know this one would be very happy if you would; he hasn't had this much attention in years!" he beamed, and the pokemon emitted a small, crackling rumble, as if agreeing. The old Avalugg, which had served as the daycare's groundskeeper for nearly as long as it had existed, was a constant sight for the people of Snowpoint. For most, the ice type was simply a part of the scenery, but to Moon, it was an amazing creature to behold.

"Can we come back, Grandpa?" she asked cautiously, running her now mostly-numb hands over the pokemon's pointed snout.

There was a brief pause. While Aibek wasn't particularly thrilled about the prospect of spending more time with his nosy, razzing neighbor, he was happy to see her taking such an interest. "Well, I suppose..." Her eyes immediately lit up, a smile spreading over her face before he cursed as he glanced down at his watch and realized how much time had passed. "Dammit, our appointment is in ten minutes! We gotta go!"

 

* * *

 

They soon arrived at a small building on a busy street corner; a salon.

The woman who greeted them at the door was, like nearly everyone else in the city, elderly. Though her skin was aged and dull, the same couldn't be said of her bright, friendly smile, and even brighter neon-purple hair, which was short and, as to be expected for her line of work, perfectly styled.

"SWEET ARCEUS ABOVE, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!"

"It's, er, a long story..." the man interjected on Moon's behalf. "Think you can fix this?"

The neon-haired woman cast a suspicious glance her grandfather's way, but went about setting Moon up on the chair and gathering her supplies. The stylist worked and fussed with her hair futilely for well over an hour. Though a valiant effort on her part, the child's dark strands were so severely matted that they were beyond fixing, even for her practiced hands. In the end, though it pained her, there was no other option than to simply chop it all off.

"W-well, the good thing about hair is that it grows back! Eheh..." the woman sighed with an apologetic expression as Moon looked herself over curiously in the long mirror. It was extremely short, and though a drastic improvement over her previously-disheveled appearance, the little girl now looked very much like a little boy. She cocked her head to the side, taking in her new look, when she felt something gently placed in her newly-cut locks. Moon glanced up to see the stylist smiling at her warmly, and a second look in the mirror revealed a small, shimmering teal bow.

"That's better," the stylist spoke above her kindly. In truth, Moon wasn't bothered by her new hair, or lack thereof. If anything, the short, freshly-shampooed locks were much more comfortable without the heavy, matted sections pulling at her scalp, but something about the woman's gesture made her happy nonetheless. She turned to her grandfather, seeming to look for his approval.

"Well, would you look at that?" he remarked with a smile, leaning down to get a better look. "You're really coming together, kiddo."

Moon beamed, smiling happily and bringing attention to the other pressing matter.

 

* * *

 

Their next stop was the dentist.

"Moon?" a friendly, elderly female voice called out to the waiting room, and Moon stood up stiffly, holding a hand to her forehead in salute before her grandfather pulled it down and shook his head at her. Moon blinked at him, and he nodded, motioning for her to follow the hygienist into the other room. The young girl followed obediently, and the two disappeared into the area behind the doors before the dentist abruptly came back out, and addressed the man with a less-than-friendly tone.

"I need to speak with you. **Now**."

 

* * *

 

"I apologize for my rudeness earlier," the dentist spoke, sounding sincerely apologetic.

"Think nothing of it. I'd have done the same," the elderly man replied with a touch of bitterness, though it didn't seem directed at him. "That bad, though, huh? I hope she handled it alright..."

"Oh, yes, she was a star patient! She's doing just fine. As a matter of fact, she should be out any minute," he explained, and is if on que, Moon entered the room, accompanied by the same hygienist who'd called her in. "We removed what wasn't salvageable and fixed up the rest with some fillings. It was pretty extensive, so we put her under with gas. She's fortunate you were able to bring her in when you did. They were all baby teeth, so with good oral hygiene, she should grow up to be a perfectly healthy young lady with a beautiful smile. Right?"

The child grinned awkwardly, proudly displaying her new gaps.

"You need to get her checked by a general practitioner," he spoke quietly to the older man while the young girl examined her mouth in the small mirror they'd gifted her. "This is the address. She's the only doctor in town who handles pediatrics. I know her personally, and I've made her aware of your situation. The sooner you can take her, the better."

 

* * *

 

As instructed, Moon's grandfather took her to the pediatrician on the outskirts of town immediately after. He was relieved to have had the situation explained for him beforehand, as there were no judgemental looks or questions this time. The girl sat quietly beside him in the waiting room, swinging her legs back and forth with her nose in one of the magazines they'd provided, having chosen it over the children's books and toys.

"Moon?" an older, female voice called out to the young girl for the second time that day, and Moon immediately popped up from behind the book to see the source; a tall woman in her seventies or so with long, white hair pulled into a braid that hung over her shoulder, wearing a white coat.

"You can come on in. You, too, Aibek."

"Moon and her grandfather followed the woman into a small room. The walls were lined with framed drawings and paintings, all obviously created by young children, along with diagrams of the human body and information on nutrition, immunizations and other educational material.

"How are you feeling?" ahe questioned, and Moon blinked as the doctor gathered her supplies and returned to the child's side.

"Um... Okay?" she squinted as a light was held in front of her eye.

"Okay. I need to examine her and ask a few questions. Would you mind stepping out for a moment?"

 

* * *

 

"You can come back in, Aibek."

Said man re-entered the room to see Moon sitting calmly on the patient's bench.

"How is everything?"

"So far, so good. We just need to get a blood sample and give her her immunizations," the doctor replied, retrieving a syringe from the cabinet and removing it from its plastic seal. The child instantly stiffened at the sight, bolting over to where Aibek was sitting and into his arms.

"What's wrong, kiddo?"

"I don't... like it..."

"Now Moon, I promise, it's all right. Everyone has this done, even little babies much younger than you. It's just the tiniest pinch, and we always have a present for good children afterward," she punctuated her reply with a soft smile and knowing wink, but it did absolutely nothing to placate her.

"No..." the child spoke with panic growing in her shaky voice, tears beginning to form in the corners of her terrified eyes that were locked onto the syringe in an unsettling manner.

The doctor pursed her lips in thought.

"Junior!"

A small, pink pokemon with a bright red nose appeared almost instantly, carrying a small basket full of colorful balls and taking a bow when it entered the room. The Mime Jr., which belonged to the doctor, was a favorite among even her fussiest young patients.

"Look at this little guy!" her grandfather offered encouragingly, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"Mime!" the pokemon seemed to repeat his sentiment. It tried to distract her with juggling and other impressive feats of athleticism, but despite its best efforts, nothing worked.

The doctor sighed, taking no joy in what she was about to say. "...I'm sorry, but I don't feel comfortable sedating her again so soon after a dental procedure. You'll need to hold her down."

Moon screamed. She screamed, cried and thrashed within her grandfather's lap, and it took two male nurses holding her down to steady the child enough for the sample and injections. She'd handled the initial exam like it was nothing; seeming completely content and almost happy to allow the doctor to view, poke and prod her body, look in her mouth, eyes and ears, take her temperature and place the cold stethoscope over her skin. The sudden shift in mood was jarring for all involved, including everyone in the waiting room hearing the blood-curdling screams with no context.

"All things considered, she's in remarkably good health. A bit behind on the growth chart, but that's to be expected," the woman spoke as Aibek did his best to soothe the trembling child, who he was growing more attached to by the moment. Moon had briefly passed out during the procedure, and now looked thoroughly exhausted, though in considerably better spirits with the needles out of sight and small, cute pokemon at her side to distract her, happily allowing the child to curiously poke its nose. "You'll need to take extra care to instill good hygiene habits and make sure she receives adequate nutrition. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, limit her sweets. I've prepared a pamphlet for you, and if things change or you have any questions, call me at once. Otherwise we'll see her in two weeks to check her progress.

 

* * *

 

"What sort of toys do you like?" Aibek questioned as the two stood in a small gift shop located on the outskirts of town; the one place even remotely suited to his current needs.

Moon pawed at her still partially-numb mouth as she looked over the shelves in the children's section. Despite the small location, there was still a decent selection of plastic dolls, stuffed pokemon, and toy cars to choose from. Most children would have been delighted, but the small girl only appeared befuddled as she looked over the foreign objects.

"Come on, surely there's something you want," her grandfather commented, confused by her reaction.

"Mom says it's better to use your imagination," she finally replied simply, and the man ground his teeth beneath his beard. Unlike his small companion, he was very much aware that his daughter had used that as flimsy excuse not to spend a single extra poké for her child's benefit.

The pair began making their way out of the shop, with Moon's grandfather looking a bit disheartened that she hadn't found anything of interest when the child's eye caught on a tall, glass display case near the shop's entrance. Small porcelain figures were lined up neatly within it.

"Oh, uh, those are really meant for adults," he stammered. Aside from being fragile, the case's contents were significantly more expensive than most of the children's section's offerings.

"Oh... Okay," Moon replied obediently, sounding somewhat disappointed, and the man beside her let out a sigh. The look in her eyes, coupled with what she'd endured, overrode his better judgement. He couldn't bring himself to say no.

"Oh, what the hell. Ma'am? We'd like to take a look at these."

"Oooh, yes, this artist is very popular! Which one would you like?" she chirped, unlocking the glass case and stepping aside to afford the duo a better look.

He turned to Moon, who appeared a bit surprised as both the adults looked to her, awaiting her answer. She immediately pointed to a small sculpture in the corner, and the woman nodded, carefully retrieving it and re-locking the case. "You got it, sugar! Let's head on over to the register and I'll wrap it for you!"

 

* * *

 

It was evening. Moon's grandfather had set her up in the unused guest bedroom, which until a few hours ago, had been missing the crucial bed part. From that day on, the modestly-sized room would become her very own, and the full-sized bed would serve her well into adulthood. While considerably more comfortable than the carpet floor she was accustomed to, the plush mattress felt gigantic to the small girl, and was missing one important aspect that brought a frown to her face as she recalled it. The man who was tucking her in picked up on this.

"Missing your mom?" he questioned.

"Duchess..." Moon spoke with concern, looking down at the small pokemon figure in her hands as she stroked its ear with her forefinger. The pokemon in the sculpture, a Linoone, was pristine, slender and graceful in appearance, so different from the friend she knew. The plump, scruffy Linoone, which until yesterday had served as her constant companion, was now somewhere very far away. They ate together, played together, slept together, and while she was quickly growing to like this man and her new arrangements, that was one thing he could never reproduce.

Aibek didn't understand what she was talking about, but ruffled her short hair in an attempt to soothe her.

"Well you're safe now, kiddo. It's been a long time, and I'm clearly not great at this so bear with me, but I'll do my best..."

 

* * *

 

Nearly thirty years passed. Guzma was cleaning a shelf in the living room when Tillan and Swinub ran by underfoot, throwing him slightly off balance and causing the ex Skull leader to lightly bump one of the many knickknacks lined atop it with his elbow.

"C-CAREFUL WITH THAT!" Moon yelped, diving in to catch it in an impressive, but ultimately futile, maneuver.

"Muuuuke!"

It was inches above the hard wooden floor when a white, sticky appendage shot out from across the room where Pyukumuku had been sitting quietly, cushioning its fall. Moon quickly retrieved and examined it. Though sticky, it appeared to be intact, and the trainer sighed heavily in relief when no damage was found. "You're a lifesaver, Mucus!"

"Puke."

Guzma glanced down at his wife, who was now situated in a very odd position, belly up on the floor beneath him as she gazed at the tiny trinket. Odd behavior was commonplace where Moon was concerned, but this was a bit bizarre even for her.

"Eh? What's that thing?"

"Um... I'm not really sure," she admitted, confused by her own reaction as she wiped off and examined the object in question. Its paint was faded from years of sun exposure, but it was beautifully crafted, and the pokemon, curled up amongst the scenery sculpted around it, filled her with a vague, melancholy feeling until her husband's voice snapped her out of it.

"Well, better put it somewhere safe if ya don't want 'em to smash it," he replied before quickly turning his attention to the boy who was currently chasing a pig down the hallway. "HEY! QUIT RUNNIN' IN THE HOUSE!"

Moon gave the tiny figurine a final, quizzical glance before doing just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was probably a little heavy for the first chapter, but I wanted to share more of Moon's past and why she is the way she is. Our dear dingus didn't have the best start in life, but she had an awesome grandpa to make up for it. Guzma unfortunately wasn't so lucky, and we'll be seeing a bit of his past, too, along with the complicated relationship between Lillie, Gladion and their mother.
> 
> The Linoone was a gift from one of her mother's 'friends' (much like Moon :B) I like to think Duchess has her own story that ends in her finding a kind, loving trainer. <3
> 
> All the members of her family from her grandfather's side have moon-themed names. Her mum was an easy choice; the female protagonist's English name, but I had to think a while on her grandpa. I eventually decided on Aibek, which means master of the moon. :D


	2. The Nautical Type

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Occurs during chapter twelve.

It was late afternoon. The two trainers were relaxing in the shallows off Hano Beach after playing in the waves with their pokemon. Guzma was laying on Golisopod's back, enjoying what was left of the sun, while Moon watched and cheered on Primarina as it practiced blowing bubbles in various shapes. They continued that way for a while, until two figures could be seen making their way over to them. More specifically, Moon.

"Well, if it isn't our first champion. I must say, you're even more enchanting in person."

The trainer in question turned to see the source of the compliment; a tan young man with blonde hair and a slim physique, around her age. A blue, male Jellicent was floating beside him, so she assumed him to be a trainer. Guzma didn't move from his spot, but immediately took notice of the interaction, closely watching the other man with a great deal of suspicion and hint of irritation.

"Oh, uh, thanks? I couldn't have done it without my team! They were the real stars. Right, Primarina?" she asked the water type beside her.

The sea lion, which long since its first evolution had outgrown its possessive phase and was normally amiable toward humans, was now hovering closely to his mistress with its lip upturned threateningly, bearing its fangs while emitting a low, barely-audible growl. The man glanced down at the pokemon, casting it a brief, dirty look before once again meeting Moon's gaze and continuing with a smile. "Are you here for the festival, by any chance?"

"Oh, no, we're-" she paused. Their mission was really supposed to be a secret. If word got out that ultra beasts were roaming Alola, it could cause mass panic and a myriad of other problems, so the trainer quickly corrected herself. "Er, j-just enjoying the scenery! Ahah..." she concluded, scratching the back of her head awkwardly and inwardly kicking herself for the poor excuse. The trainer didn't seem to question it, though; instead dawning a wide grin that brought attention to his unnaturally-white teeth.

"Marvelous, no? My father owns most of it," he replied smugly, looking over the vast expanse of buildings lining the beach. "Of course, it pales in comparison to this little beauty."

Her eyes followed his gesture towards the open sea, where what looked to be a massive cruise ship was anchored nearby. Guzma scowled to himself, while Moon simply smiled in response.

"Oh! Are you here on a cruise, then?" she questioned curiously, and the blonde trainer let out a patronizing chuckle, as if she were foolish for asking.

"Oh, Arceus no! This my private vessel. Cruise. How adorable. No, this is the TX5000; our latest model. It's not yet available to the public."

"You mean that whole thing is empty?" Her voice fell. Rather than being impressed, the trainer looked disappointed, and the man quickly continued.

"Oh, N-no! We have a captain, chef and wait staff, naturally! This _particular_ one is unique in that the seats are heated, and each room is equipped with a mini bar and surround-sound entertainment system."

"But that's so much wasted space... Doesn't it get lonely without other people? -ER?!"

The man looked down at Moon with an unsettling smirk as he took both of her hands in his, holding them up. "Indeed. Why don't you let me give you the grand tour? Come now, I insist!"

The dark-haired trainer didn't know why, but something about this man made her vaguely uncomfortable. "O-oh, um, well sure, I guess. As long as my friend can come, too!" she replied cheerfully, and the man's lascivious grin quickly morphed into a look of befuddlement.

"Friend?" he asked in confusion, glancing around before his eyes fell on the snow-haired man laying atop his large pokemon about ten feet away and scowling in his direction. He'd ignored the other male's presence before, as they didn't seem the sort to be in the same group, let alone friends. The thought hadn't even occurred to him, and the boastful trainer now appeared frustrated that a third party was throwing a wrench in his plans.

"Yo, scumbag. Move the hands or Imma snap 'em off."

"...This wouldn't happen to be your 'friend'? The shirt is certainly an _interesting_ choice of swimwear," he replied mockingly, gazing at the wet white shirt that clung to Guzma's torso.

The ex Skull leader clenched his jaw in barely-contained rage before sliding off Golisopod and standing in the water, revealing his towering form as he walked up to the smaller man. He leaned down to his level, their faces nearly touching as lifted his sunglasses. His intense, grey eyes glared directly into the male trainer's increasingly-terrified brown orbs.

"Didn't quite catch that," he spoke in a menacingly-calm tone.

"Y-YOU! Y-you're that thug! Their leader!" he barely managed squeak out, earning a smirk from said thug.

"In the flesh. Now, we were havin' a nice little conversation here. Go ahead. What was that you were sayin' about my shirt?"

He didn't answer. The smaller man only shrieked as he made a beeline for his Jelliscent, clambered unceremoniously on top of it, and sped off in the direction he came from.

"HAVE FUN SUCKIN' DADDY'S GOLDEN TIT THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, LOSER!" Guzma shouted bitterly while the blonde man, now several meters away, irritably muttered something to himself about why she'd be accompanied by 'such a vulgar man'.

 

* * *

 

"Fuckin' creep..." Guzma grumbled irritably under his breath.

Moon yawned, stretching her arms over her head as the trainers made their way to the hotel in the distance. "That guy sure liked talking about his boat... Do I look like the nautical type?"

"Really? _That's_ what you got outta that?"

"Oh, jeez..." she spoke with a hint of dread in her voice, and the white-haired man's expression softened as a look of understanding washed over Moon's features. "You don't think he was trying to... lure us into a pyramid scheme, do you?!"

"...Eh?"

"I'VE READ ABOUT THIS! They lure you in with yachts, fine dining and promises of a luxurious lifestyle! You think things are going good, then **BOOM!** You're in too deep!"

"Wait, **what?!"**

"The crime already committed, millions in debt, we'd have had no choice but to change our identities and move to Kalos, living our lives in secrecy, always looking over our shoulders. It's a vicious cycle."

Guzma gaped, attempting to process the nonsense that had poured out of the small woman's mouth before barking back at her. **_"NO,_ YOU IDIOT! HE WAS TRYNA IMPRESS YA!"**

Moon blinked obliviously at the taller trainer as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"I swear to Arceus, you're so clueless it's infuriatin'... Look, that dude was bad news. He was eyein' you like a five-course meal, wouldn't take no for an answer, kept starin' at your tits-"

Moon unconsciously hunched over while the former Skull leader rattled off his grievances, crossing her arms uncomfortably over the aforementioned body part as the trainer became aware of her bathing suit again. She'd been having so much fun with Guzma and her pokemon that she'd completely forgotten about it, but now, as her mind processed his words and what had happened, she desperately wanted to be back in her normal clothes. Or under a tarp.

"-way too trustin' of creeps like that and it makes my fuckin' **_skin crawl_** to think what woulda happened if I hadn'ta been there!"

She allowed him to finish, remaining quiet for a moment before smiling back at him fondly. "Thanks... I'm glad you're not like that, Fluffy."

Guzma stopped in his tracks. It was, simultaneously, the highest compliment and biggest kick in the gut he could have received. Was he really so different? While less obvious and obnoxious in doing so, the ex Skull leader couldn't deny he'd eyed Moon hungrily since their first encounter. The same lustful thoughts he'd seen burning in the other man's gaze that made him want to crush his lithe, pathetic form were all present in himself, and coupled with the way she'd just looked at him, so trustingly, he hated himself for it. Their relationship was purely business. Once the UBs were dealt with, they'd be going their separate ways. What right did he have to chase off her pursuers? She was a young, attractive woman. It was only natural that it should happen at some point... But he didn't want it to. In fact, the very idea made him seethe.

"Hey Guz, you coming?!" Moon called behind her, snapping the trainer in question out of his distracted state. She was now several strides ahead of him, and the hotel was close by.

The former boss grunted irritably as the two made their way up the dunes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh I finally have my laptop back. ;_; As always, thanks for sticking with me!
> 
> I'd always planned to have a scene with Moon getting hit on by a sketchy guy and ya boi scaring them off, but this particular interaction gave too much away about Guzma's feelings for that point in the story, which is why it's an extra! As you probably guessed, the trainer was based off the "rich boy" class from the games. Oddly, this class wasn't included in Sun and Moon, so you can just think of this as my contribution. :B


	3. The Story of Swinub

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Occurs fourteen years before the events of Fluffy. Moon is eight years old in this chapter.

The crunching of boots upon thick snow was heard as two coat-clad men made their way across the pine-dotted wilderness that surrounded Snowpoint City. The first, a tall, tan man with a scar across his lower jaw, looked determined as the pair trekked on, but his companion, a chubby, younger man with a generous dusting of freckles across his nose, did not appear nearly as sure of himself.

"Why do we have to do this again?"

"I already explained it to you, idiot. Rich bastards will pay a fortune for this stuff."

The portly man sneezed, whining between chattering teeth as he rubbed his reddened nose. "I h-hate this. We should have never listened to Cyrus. Wish we could have at least gone somewhere nicer..."

"No shit. It's the only place not crawling with rangers."

"But-"

"Look, you've been doing nothing but complain since we got here! Are you in or not?!"

"In!"

"Then walk faster. We're burning daylight."

The chubby former Galactic grunt huffed as he did his best to keep up with his slender counterpart. "Are you sure this is the right way?"

"I talked to one of the old codgers in town. They said there's a big one just west of the temple."

"O-okay, but we're just gonna knock it out, right? Take the tusks and get out of here?"

"That's the plan..." he spoke, glancing over to his comrade and sighing at the pathetic sight of his trembling form. "If this can pierce an Onix hide, it can blast that thing to smithereens no problem, if it comes to that. I'll let you hold onto it, okay? Maybe it'll man you up a little," he chided, passing off the firearm, which looked more like a cannon than a gun, to his hesitant accomplice, who gulped as he ran his gloved hand over the thick barrel. "Heh. Looks like we made it."

A Mamoswine stood several meters away, glaring at the intruders threateningly. It stomped the icy ground in warning.

"Watch my back..." the taller man spoke under his breath, drawing a taser rod and approaching his target.

The pokemon let out a booming trumpet that echoed throughout the area, causing snow to fall from the surrounding pines before charging forward. The human stood his ground, readying the rod, but did not anticipate the massive creature's speed as it charged toward him and knocked it out of his grip with its tusks, sending the weapon flying off to the side and out of immediate reach. As he moved to retrieve it, the mammoth intervened, striking forward and brutally goring its human assailant's leg. He let out a strangled cry as its thick, pointed tusk pierced flesh and splintered bone. He fell to the ground, abandoning the taser and desperately scrambling away several feet before hissing in pain as he curled up and clutched his injured thigh. "Sh-Shoot it! Shoot it now!"

"I-I!"

His companion was trembling almost uncontrollably now, his finger clenching over the trigger as he did his best to aim for the enraged mammoth closing in on his friend, but unable to will the digit to fully commit.

"Arceus, what're you waiting for?! _**SHOOT IT!"**_

As the massive ice type readied its wide foot over the spindly man's form, he was sure this was his end. He would be crushed to death here, in this hellish, snowy wasteland at the end of the world. His partner's words rang in his mind. He was right. They should never have listened to Cyrus. Why did it have to turn out like this? Why had he allowed himself to be seduced by the ravings or a madman? Why had their leader abandoned them?

He clenched his eyes shut, preparing for the pain to come, only to flinch when instead, a shot was heard, followed by a crash that shook the ground around him. He tentatively opened a single eye, and was shocked to see that the pokemon was now laying in front of him, so close that its thick, bristly fur brushed his cheek. It convulsed on the ground for brief second before going completely still.

"What the..." he remarked, looking to his companion in disbelief.

The portly man fell to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks and shoulders heaving as he took in the sight of the slain creature. He'd hit his mark, right between its now lifeless eyes, which seemed to be looking directly at him, judging him for the heinous act he'd committed. Overwhelmed, the man began gagging over the snow until his companion's voice brought him back to attention.

"Pull yourself together, idiot! Get over here and help me!" he barked, partly in frustration and partly in pain. It had missed any vital arteries. He would never walk right again, but unlike the pokemon, he would live.

"R-right!"

"...Dammit, it's a female!" the injured man cursed in frustration upon getting a better look at the body. The horns, teeth and tusks of female pokemon were generally shorter, lighter, and consequently, less sought after by collectors. Mamoswine was no exception to this, and though the ivory would still fetch a decent price, he felt embittered as he gazed over his mangled leg. It wasn't worth being crippled. Nothing was.

The trainers summoned their pokemon; a Drapion and Lairon, and with their help, managed to get the corpse and injured man on to a tarp to make a hasty retreat.

 

* * *

 

Several hours passed. In a nearby cave, a tiny Swinub was awoken by its grumbling stomach. The sun was low on the horizon. It was long past the time its mother would normally return. Restless and hungry, it cautiously ventured outside the cave it had called home since birth. Mamoswine would normally venture in and out of their cave several times throughout the day to check on and feed him before eventually coming back for the night, so the countless tracks winding out from the entrance would be of little help. Fortunately, it had a better method. A quick sniff was all that was needed to discern and follow the footprints with the freshest scent trail out into the dusk.

 

Swinub followed the scent trail, venturing farther from the cave than he'd ever been. As his mother's scent grew stronger, a sharp, metallic odor became discernible as well, and though foreign to the snow pig, it filled him with anxiety. Eventually, the piglet reached a large indent in the snow where the smell became strongest, and the otherwise pristine white powder was stained crimson. Upon investigation, the unsettling odor increased tenfold, assaulting the hatchling's sensitive snout. The small ice type was young. There were a lot of things it had yet to learn, but some deep, instinctual part of the pokemon knew what this meant. His mother would not return. A single, tiny droplet fell on upon the red, soiled snow as this realization set in. With tears in its eyes, Swinub pressed forward.

 

* * *

 

Two days passed as the Swinub wandered aimlessly through the frozen land. It had been lucky to avoid any ground predators thus far, but a Mandabuzz had taken an ominous interest in the tiny pig on the dawn of the second day. It started off observing him from a great distance, taking perch in the pines several yards away as it traveled, but as the day went on, and the sun drew lower in the sky, the flying type had been drawing slowly closer, and now loomed over the terrified porcine from atop an evergreen just behind it. Tears were pooling in the ice type's perpetually-closed eyes as it scanned its surroundings. Light and a few thin plumes of smoke were emanating from a small settlement about a mile away, along with countless new scents. Taking a final glance at the scavenger above it, the pokemon summoned the last of its energy to make a beeline for the city.

As it drew close to the human colony, his unwanted follower finally gave up its pursuit. It was a relief, but not to its painfully-empty stomach. On his journey, the pig had witnessed a herd of Sawsbuck stripping bark off trees and attempted to do the same, but found that he couldn't even properly chew the vile substance, let alone swallow it. It was perhaps due to this all-consuming hunger that he tentatively approached the creature sitting on a rock in front of him.

It was a young, female human, and while significantly larger than him, she had no horns, claws, fangs or residual gamey scents clinging to her. There was, however, a delicious smell wafting from her large backpack. He felt a sharp pang of hunger as it took a tentative step forward, causing the brush to rustle around it and startling the girl.

"Hello?"

He observed the young human cautiously, who appeared afraid herself as she clung to her large backpack.

"I think I legally have to warn you first, b-but I have a knife and I'm not afraid to use it!"

The dark-haired creature was definitely frightened at this point. Her demeanor did not seem that of a predator, but her panic was still somehow unsettling. Just as she looked ready to bolt, the shaking pokemon summoned up the courage to poke its head out from behind the brush, revealing itself to the child.

"Nuuub!"

To its relief, her posture instantly relaxed when it did so.

"O-oh jeez, sorry! I thought you were a person! No, no, I won't hurt you! Wow, I can be really dumb sometimes."

Swinub watched as the girl flashed it an awkward grin while rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. The pokemon seemed to relax a bit as well, but still didn't move from its position, partially concealed from view as its nose twitched slightly.

"I really am sorry..." she spoke, pausing for a moment before her dawning a new, decidedly more positive expression as she reached into her oversized backpack. Swinub watched with increasing curiosity as she pulled out a generously-sized parcel and lowered it gently to the ground, putting as much distance between she and it as she could.

"All yours! Consider it my apology."

It didn't need to be told twice. Swibub shot out from the bushes the moment she finished her sentence, diving nose-first into the human's offering. The taste and texture of solid food was an entirely new experience; one the pokemon was too ravenous to savor as it devoured the dried berries and nuts the way only a starving creature could.

"Jeez. Poor little guy. Must have been a while since you last ate I'm guessing?"

"Nub!" was the muffled reply. The pig pokemon had its face deep in the bag now, blissfully gobbling down mouthful after mouthful of the mixed nuts and berries with impressive speed before it heard the voice once again.

"Well, I'm glad I could help. You keep the rest. I need to get going, though. Grandpa gets mad if I'm out too late."

Swinub watched as the human slid off the rock and began walking away. It followed quietly a few feet behind her.

 

* * *

 

"Absolutely not!"

"But Grandpa, he was really hungry! I can't just leave him outside after he followed me all that way..."

Aibek sighed. It was exceedingly rare for Moon to push him for anything, and the more he side-eyed the small pokemon, the more he felt a begrudging sympathy for the striped swine. He exhaled in resignation before responding in a stern tone.

"If it shits in the house, you're cleaning it up. If it breaks anything, you're paying for it out of your allowance. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Moon replied with a salute, her old habit resurfacing in pure joy as she thanked her grandfather and turned her attention to her new companion. "Swinub! You can stay!"

"Swine!" it responded happily, seeming to understand the situation.

Aibek couldn't help smiling when Moon wrapped her arms around him tightly with a big, toothy grin. "Thank you, Grandpa! Thank you so much!"

"Hmph. Well, you're a good kid. I meant what I said, though. From now on, he's your responsibility."

 

* * *

 

Moon giddily led her new companion to her room. It was modestly-sized, with a full bed and small television in front of it. There was a small night table by her bed, with a pitcher of water and a few spools of yarn and thread. The most notable feature, however, was the shelving lining her wall, which was completely crammed with books. They seemed to catch the pokemon's attention, as it was the first thing he investigated. They smelled of Moon and old wood, with many other faint scents mixed in, as though others had touched them before her.

"These are my books! You're welcome to any of them! ...Well, I guess you probably can't read, but I can read them to you anytime! This section is just boring school stuff, but **_this_** , this is where the real fun is. Look, here's some of my favorites: The Ultimate Guide to Infectious Diseases, How to Build a Satellite on a Budget, Algae Farming, hehe, the librarian let me keep that one-" Moon prattled on excitedly as the porcine's nose twitched, observing her curiously. "This shelf here is all about battling; I'm still too young now, but in a couple of years, Grandpa said he's going to take me to Sandgem Town so I can meet Professor Rowan and become a trainer. Let's see, what else... Oh, these are all good, too; The Great War of Kalos, Knights of Galar, Ancient Kantonian Tribes, Prepping for the Apocalypse With Your Friends, well, I actually don't have any friends, _BUT_ I'm confident I have the prepping part down to an art at this point. If we ever face a nuclear disaster, I've got you covered!" she finished with a bright smile, turning around to find that Swinub was no longer beside her, but had instead turned its attention to her closet a few feet away, where it was pawing at the door.

Moon opened the door, curious about the sudden interest, and Swinub made a beeline for a bag in the corner.

"Oh. That's my trail mix again. Here," she reached for the bag in question, using the human fingers and thumbs the pokemon lacked to easily open the bag before setting it down beside him. It wasted no time diving in.

"You sure like that stuff, huh? Well, I guess that's okay for tonight. It's too late now, but first thing tomorrow, I'll go out and get you some proper pokemon food," she commented apologetically, gently petting the gluttonous pig as it once again emptied the contents of her snack bag.

"Moon?! Lights out!" Aibek's voice called from across the hall, and Moon glanced at the clock, surprised to see it was already eight.

"Okay, Grandpa! Goodnight!" she hollered back before stepping back into the closet. Swinub watched as the human hastily shimmied out of the strange layers of material covering her body before just as quickly replacing them with different ones. It didn't understand her actions, but continued to observe curiously as she walked over to the corner of the room, knelt down and pressed something small protruding from the wall, which emitted a small amount of light after she did so. She stood up, flicking yet another, smaller protrusion higher up and causing the room to grow dark save for the small light she'd turned on.

"Um, I have to go to bed now, but you can stay up if you still want to sniff anything. You can wake me up if you need to go outside," she spoke, only to be met with silence. "Well, goodnight," she offered a final smile before heading to her bed and pulling its thick covers over her small frame.

Swinub did, indeed, spend another good twenty minutes thoroughly sniffing Moon's room from top to bottom. Among the many new scents that were never found in its snowy forest home, the odd but kind human's lingered atop all of them like a soft, comforting blanket.

Finally content, the small pig jumped up to join her on the bed. Being part ice type, it was comfortable above the comforter, but it still settled close beside her above the sheets. It licked the human's nose once before joining her in slumber.

 

* * *

 

Moon awoke at an unknown hour of the night to movement and strange sounds. The dim nightlight, along with her groggy state, made it hard to discern what was happening. She rubbed her eyes as she leaned over and turned on the lamp on her night table.

Swinub was at the end of her bed, slumped over and breathing in rapid, shallow breaths beside a small puddle of vomit on her sheets, the contents of which looked almost identical to how they had before consumption. The young girl felt her heart leap to her throat in panic as she scrambled to the foot of the bed.

"Swinub! What happened?!"

Its nose was pale, but twitched slightly at her words. He was conscious.

"What's going on in here?!" Aibek demanded as he entered the room, only to gape in shock at the scene that awaited him.

"I-I'm sorry, Grandpa! I'll clean it up right-"

"Never mind that! We need to get him to a pokemon center!"

 

* * *

 

Moon didn't even bother to get dressed. She threw on her coat and boots over her pajamas in a hurry, wrapped the pokemon in a blanket and hurriedly carried it to the door. Her grandfather urged her to go ahead of him, as his pace would undoubtedly slow them down, but assured her he'd them meet at the pokemon center a few buildings down from their house as fast as he could.

Moon sprinted through the bitter cold night. Her throat was on fire from breathing so heavily, but ignored it, instead talking to her new companion.

"Hang in there, Swinub! You're going, hah, to be okay! We're almost there!"

An elderly Joy met the frantic, panting girl in the pokemon center lobby. Her hair was an even mixture of grey and coral, and concern was etched on her wrinkled features when Moon presented the distressed pig.

"I woke up and found him like this! I don't know what happened! I just found him yesterday and he seemed fine!"

"Oh, dear! I'll take him in immediately! Please wait here," she spoke seriously, beckoning a nearby Blissey to gather supplies and follow her past the thick metal doors beyond the lobby.

Twenty minutes passed, but it had felt like an eternity. Aibek, true to his word, had arrived a few minutes after his granddaughter, and was sitting in a chair looking at one of the magazines the center provided as she paced the waiting area. He'd told her to stay calm, but despite his words, wasn't truly reading the book in his lap, and the elderly man's occasional fidgeting gave away his own worry.

"Moon?"

Joy had emerged from behind the metal doors, and the young girl ran up to her immediately.

"I-I brought an empty bag with me!" she explained frantically, producing the empty package, which she'd taken out of the recycling bin, and holding up the side listing its ingredients. "This is what I gave him! It's just nuts and dried berries! I don't know why it would-"

Joy waved a hand dismissively at the terrified girl. "Calm down, dear. There's nothing wrong with the food."

Moon's shoulders quaked, and the elderly woman placed a gentle hand on each.

"Moon, listen to me."

She sniffled, hesitantly raising her eyes to meet hers.

"You've done _nothing_ wrong. In fact, you likely saved this little one's life. Come with me."

Moon briefly looked to Aibek, who nodded his approval, before cautiously following as Joy led her past the sliding doors to an area normally off-limits to human visitors. She was a bit nervous, wondering what scary sights might await her in a hospital setting, but to her relief, the atmosphere was peaceful. It was apparently a slow day, as the only other pokemon in sight was a Bibarel with a bandaged leg, which was napping quietly on one of the many beds. A further inspection revealed what Moon was looking for a few beds down, and the child sprinted over to the small pokemon now laying comfortably on a bed in the corner. An IV drip hung beside the bed, though it thankfully disappeared beneath the covers where she couldn't see the point of contact. Though it was hard to tell by its eyes, the pokemon's pink nose instantly came alive as it recognized the small human.

It made a move to get up and walk towards her, but Moon closed the distance between them instead, leaning over the bed and embracing the small pig gently, who nuzzled her face happily in return. "Nub!"

"Swinub! You're okay!" she exclaimed in elated relief as Joy caught up to her with a knowing smile.

"See this little thing here, on his snout?" the elderly woman questioned gently, brushing the fur aside with her gloved finger to reveal a tiny, pearly-white spike on the bridge of the ice type's nose. "That's an egg tooth, which means this Swinub only hatched just recently," she explained, and Moon gazed at the new revelation curiously as Joy continued. "At this age, he should still be getting milk from his mother. It's not normal for a wild pokemon this young to approach humans. That, along with him being so underweight, tells me that something must have happened to her."

Moon listened intently, hanging on to her every word. The young girl was saddened by the news, but more concerned for the sickly pig.

"Solids are rough on a baby pokemon's stomach, and on top of that, he probably hadn't eaten for several days. There was nothing wrong with the food, and thanks to you, he's exactly where he needs to be."

"S-so he'll be okay?" she asked hopefully.

"He'll be just fine. I'm going to keep him overnight to make sure he's rested and hydrated, but you can come pick him up tomorrow."

"Tomorrow..." the girl repeated with a hint of worry, and the pokemon seemed to echo her concern, trying to climb up into her arms while Moon did her best to keep him seated on the bed.

"Well, we do have a small sleeping area in the lobby," Joy offered, and Moon's eyes immediately lit up.

"Really?!"

"It's fine with me, but you'll need to check with your guardian first," she replied, prompting Moon to immediately go ask the man in question while Swinub looked after her anxiously as she made her exit, only to reappear a brief moment later.

"He said yes! He's going home, but he says it's okay if I stay."

Swinub seemed to understand this, and settled down on the bed. Moon gave it a final, encouraging pat before making her way to the lobby and flopping down on one of the sofas, the stress of the night and lack of sleep finally catching up to her now that the adrenaline had subsided. Her eyelids grew heavy, and just as she was fading out of consciousness, the young girl felt a soft weight settle above her body. Joy had put a blanket over her, and set a water bottle by her side.

"Miss Joy?"

"Hmm?"

"You're really nice..."

"Tell you what. You and Swinub can come watch me work any time."

Moon smiled at that.

 

* * *

 

"They do well on this young ground type brand crushed up and mixed with warm moomoo milk. Warm, not hot. You'll want it to be almost completely liquid for the first week or so. Start out feeding him with a syringe, then slowly add more pellets until he's able to eat it in solid form on his own," she spoke, demonstrating her technique as the porcine eagerly drank the light brown liquid from the dropper.

It was morning. Swinub had been cleared for discharge, and Joy was going over the pokemon's needs with his new owner. Moon flinched momentarily at the mention of her phobia, but relaxed upon realizing the end was flat. "Wow, Miss Joy, you sure know a lot about pokemon."

The elderly woman chuckled. "When you've worked with them as long as I have, it's hard not to! So, think you can handle things from here?"

"Definitely! Thank you so much again!"

"If you ever need anything, our door is always open, dear."

Moon smiled at the kindly woman, thinking how much she'd come to admire her in such a short time, before turning her attention to her new companion.

"Ready to go, Swinub?"

"Swine!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part of this was upsetting to write. D*: But yeah, in keeping with gen seven's Parental Problems™ theme, this is Swinub's story. Much like his adoptive mum, he didn't have the best start, but he grows up safe and happy with Moon and Aibek. Writing some of this from a pokemon's perspective was interesting.
> 
> In my verse, though they all hatch from eggs, many of the more mammal-like pokemon do nurse their young as well. An egg tooth is something that actually exists in some real world animals to help them break free of the egg, and in my verse, pokemon who aren't already born with horns or claws have a temporary body part of the same name that helps them out when hatching and falls out a few days later.
> 
> While Moon never becomes a Joy, she does have a better-than-average medical knowledge of pokemon and humans thanks to hanging out with her over the years. Swinub was absolutely critical to Moon in her pre-Alola years, especially after Aibek fell ill. Even though he couldn't talk back, he gave her someone to talk to and be herself around, and he loved his human for the little weirdo she was. :)


	4. The Waxing Incident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can occur anywhere between chapters one and nine.

Evening had settled over Alola. It was a clear, starry night for most, with a single exception. That one, gloomy little corner on the northwestern side of Ula'ula Island. It was raining in Po Town, as it always seemed to be. Guzma was sitting at a long, partially-broken wooden table across from Lusamine, who was dressed quite differently than usual. Her normally seek, stylish clothing was dark and unassuming, her vibrant, golden hair was hidden beneath a scarf, and a pair of large sunglasses rested atop her head, making it clear that she didn't want to be recognized.

"Do you think you can manage it?"

"Yeah. Alright, I'll send more of 'em over there tomorrow, then."

The two were in the middle of a serious discussion related to Team Skull and the secret, nefarious inner workings of Aether, when Guzma's tablet began vibrating on the table, and the Skull leader grimaced at the name displayed on the screen.

It was the bane of his existence.

A cursed being who would forever make his blood pressure spike to unhealthy levels.

His most infuriating underling.

.  
.  
.

It was Tony.

"This better be important," he answered gruffly, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Aw, Boss, good, you're there! It's these waxin' strips, yo. I ain't sure I'm usin' 'em right," his underling's happy voice responded, and Guzma's brow twitched.

"How the hell would I know about that?! Go bother Plume!"

"I thought the same thing, yo! But she said to ask you, on account'a she don't got time for my nonsense right now," the blue-haired grunt explained, doing his best to quote the pigtailed admin as he looked back to her. She was wearing clear, plastic gloves and carefully applying dye to Anya's hair on the other end of her room. Tony, on the other hand, was seated alone on her bed, idly watching her Salazzle chasing and bopping around an empty soda can on the carpet floor.

Guzma scowled, mentally cursing his second-in-command and vowing to pay her back later. She and her infuriating playthings would be on night watch in the downpour for this.

"It says 'safe for bikini area', but I'm wonderin', you think dat includes da asshole?" he asked casually, and Guzma's eyes bugged out, mortified as they met with the President's green ones.

"I'm in a _meetin'_ , Tony, and I'm on **speaker** ," he exhaled, trying not to lose it in front of his superior and summoning every ounce of his admittedly limited self-control to do so.

"Oh? Heya, Prez! How you doin'?!" he asked the Aether President cheerfully.

"I'm well. Thank you, Tony," she replied with a small, amused smile, completely composed despite their clandestine meeting being interrupted, unlike the Skull leader across from her, who was now trembling with anger.

"Ah, dat's good! But hey, yeah, Boss, about da wax. Now, don't gemme wrong; I'm not sayin' I don't appreciate some hair down there, in fact I love it! But for me _personally_ , I'm lookin' for a nice smooth-"

"TONY, IF YOU EVER CALL ME IN A MEETIN' AGAIN, **SO HELP ME ARCEUS I WILL FUCKIN' _END YOU!"_** he screamed into the speaker so loudly that not only the trio in Plumeria's room, but every other Team Skull member on the premises could hear him, cutting off the other man and ending their conversation with an audible slam. Lusamine sighed, resigning herself to providing their hot-headed leader with yet another expensive new tablet. Not that she couldn't afford it, but such incidents had become so commonplace that she'd lost count. The man was an investment, to say the least.

"Huh... I guess Boss don't got time neither," Tony finally spoke, befuddled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, like I said, some of these will be very short, but I hope they're enjoyable nonetheless. :*D After all, it is absolutely vital that we pad these angst-ridden backstories with a healthy dose of Tony!


	5. Infestation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Occurs between chapters ten and twelve of Fluffy.

It was an uneventful morning in Moon's house. As uneventful as things could be with the strange trainer, at least. Moon had finished her morning routine as well as her breakfast, and was busy washing dishes at the sink while Guzma worked on devouring the remainder of his own at the table. A soft squeak and subsequent feeling of something brushing past his foot caused the former Skull leader to glance briefly glance down from his meal.

"Didn't know you had a Rattata," he remarked from his place at the table, and Moon looked to him in confusion.

"I don't."

"Th'hell are you talkin' about? It's right there," he countered, taking a generous bite of his waffle and motioning with his fork to the small creature on the floor, which attempted to steal a pellet from Swinub's bowl before scurrying away when the pig angrily snorted at it.

"Oh, him! Yeah, he isn't mine, he just lives here," she replied casually, and the white-haired man felt a small shiver travel down his spine as realization dawned on him.

"Just lives... Oh no. No, no, no, no. I could handle the weird mornin' plays and even cleanin' up your mess, but I ain't livin' with no stinkin' rat," he retorted.

In truth, though he groused about it, Guzma didn't mind cleaning. While the trainer could be irritating, she'd also provided a roof over his head, a bed to sleep in, she even cooked for him. Perhaps it could be attributed to her eccentricity, but regardless, it was a level of kindness he didn't feel was deserved, nor did he feel comfortable accepting it. Moon's slovenly ways, as it turned out, had offered him a small sense of relief; a chance to feel he had a way to earn his keep and feel less like a squatter in her home, if only a little.

"Rats," Moon replied.

"Well tough shit, Princess. You want your boy's help with this mission, you gotta-"

"No, I mean rats. Plural. His whole family lives here."

"Rattata!" the small creature replied in agreement as yet another Rattata, along with six tiny ones following behind it in a line, emerged from a crack in the wall on the far side of the room and made their way to Moon. The female Rattata, heavily pregnant with a belly visibly swollen with eggs, appeared by the human woman's feet and poked at her ankle expectantly.

"Top of the morning, friends! Oh, Mrs. B! You look ready to pop!"

"Atta!" the mother Rattata beamed proudly, rubbing its stomach as Moon fumbled around in her refrigerator before producing a large wheel of cheese, about a third of which had already been cut away.

"YO, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Guzma shrieked, scrambling up on the kitchen table, too shocked and horrified to even care how ridiculous he looked as his previous discomfort transformed into full-on terror. The bug type trainer wasn't a squeamish man by any means, but this was too much even for him.

"What's the matter? There were a ton of Rattata back at the Skull mansion."

"Yeah, that _belonged_ to people! And they weren't usin' our walls as a baby factory! It's bad enough you're such a slob that you got a rodent problem, but you're _feedin'_ 'em, too?! Arceus, what is wrong with you?! Do you wanna get diseases?!"

"Actually, that won't be a problem!" Moon replied knowledgeably, holding up her index finger with a smile. "I was concerned about that at first, too, but I did a little research, and it turns out Alolan Rattata don't carry pathogens like their Kantonian counterparts. If anything, they're more likely to catch something from us than-"

"You are livin'. With. VERMIN!"

"Ratta!" the rodent cried out in outrage, clasping its paws over one of the little one's ears as Moon drew a finger to her lips with an alarmed expression and shushed the other human.

"Whoa, Guz, shhh! Rodent pokemon have a painful history with that word!"

Guzma's face finally went blank. He could handle this insane situation no longer. He jumped off the table, grabbing a nearby broom and and marching towards the dark types with purpose.

"W-what are you doing...?" Moon stammered nervously.

"It's exterminatin' time."

"You can't!"

"Watch me."

"Please don't! She can't leave in her condition!"

Guzma gritted his teeth, regarding the woman with annoyance before turning to glare at the charcoal-colored rat. "...You got till the eggs hatch to get outta here, then your ride on this gravy, er, cheese train is over! Got it?" The pregnant Rattata sneered arrogantly, putting its paws on its hips and turning its whiskered nose up at him, as if disregarding his threat, before he continued. "After that, my team gets the go ahead to devour y'all. It'll be open season, and Ariados just _loves_ little pests like you. He could eat that whole litter and then some in one sittin', easy."

The Rattata's eyes all bulged out their skulls upon hearing that, glancing over at the arachnid in question. The massive spider had been sitting quietly where the corners of Moon's kitchen walls met the ceiling throughout the whole exchange, and though it hadn't moved from that position, its eyes were now locked onto the group of rodents. The Rattata shrieked as she and her young scurried back into the wall, an egg popping out of the terrified rodent and rolling onto the wooden floor behind her in the process. Her mate quickly followed, but not before raising his hackles and giving the white-haired man a nasty hiss on its way out, rolling the egg into the hole and disappearing from sight.

"Yeah, well wear a rubber next time, freeloaders!"

Moon drooped over the sink, going eerily quit and scrubbing the dishes just a bit rougher than was necessary.

"Oh, so now _I'm_ the bad guy," he remarked indignantly at her reaction, aware after the fact that it was a somewhat ironic response coming from him.

"Why do you have to be so mean?" she questioned quietly.

Guzma scowled at that. She wasn't wrong, in fact, it was something he'd prided himself on. Mean, nasty, bad; these were all titles Team Skull had worn proudly in the past. Hearing it from her didn't make him happy, though. It made him angry, and some other emotion that pricked at his chest he couldn't identify.

"Heh. I got news for you: you don't survive without bein' mean. You wanna get chewed up and spit out by the world, be my guest. You're _welcome_ , by the way," he finished darkly as he emptied his plate and left the room.

Moon clenched the dish cloth as she finished drying her hands, biting her lower lip and chancing a nervous glance his way while his back was turned.

 

* * *

 

A week passed. Heeding Guzma's threat, the Rattata cleared out soon after, and the former Skull leader was currently hunched over in the corner, busily sealing off what remained of the vacant hole in the wall they'd left behind. Ariados had filled it with a generous amount of its silk, both to fill in the empty space as well as deter any future invaders. He was so engrossed in his work that it startled him slightly when Moon cleared her throat behind him.

"What do you want."

It was more an irritated statement than a question, and Moon shuffled her feet in response, searching for a reply.

"I wanted to thank you... for the other day. I thought about what you said, and well, you were right. At the rate they were multiplying, it would have become cost prohibitive eventually."

"Hmph. That's not really the point, but whatever, I guess," he muttered, returning to his work before she spoke again, regaining her usual pep.

"Oh, and for helping me out so much with the cleaning and repairs, too! I never would have guessed, but you're quite the handyman. You'll make someone a great husband someday!"

Guzma's eyes, just for a moment, widened at that. He knew by Moon's casual delivery and straight face that it had simply been an innocent compliment, but the words caused his thoughts to wander to dangerous places. He was snapped back to attention upon realizing he was squeezing the tube in his hand too tightly, and the sealant had begun to drip down the wall. He grunted, moving quickly to correct it while keeping his face out of her view.

Helping out around the house was more than just a way to feel he was earning his keep. Of just as much relief was the fact that it kept him busy. Originally, he'd planned to simply take the dark-haired trainer for himself. If he could make a town his own, one simple woman would have been no issue, or so he believed. As it turned out, Moon was no simple woman, and any hopes he'd had of taking her by force, vague and short-sighted as they may have been, were completely dashed the day the petite, socially-daft trainer single-handedly overwhelmed an entire town's worth of his underlings. It wasn't simply a matter of power, however. Her efforts, while impressive, had also been foolhardy, and when her unconscious form was brought to his room, it should have been his golden opportunity. He could have confiscated her pokeballs and any means to contact the outside world, locked her up and been done with it, but as he paced the dingy, graffitied room, smoking like a chimney all the while, he found himself unable to do so. Each time he tried, his thoughts reverted to their first encounter, when she'd knelt down and offered her hand with a smile, or when they'd crossed paths on that dirt road and she saw fit to help him, even knowing who he was. None of his underlings dared question his decision, but it was a subject debated amongst themselves in confused, hushed whispers ever since.

"You're not, um, still upset with me, are you?" she questioned worriedly at his silence.

"If you're really sorry and got time to be spoutin' weird shit like that, go gemme some tapu cocoa."

His tone was curt, but decidedly more upbeat than before, and Moon smiled a big, toothy grin in response, snapping and pointing both fingers his way with a hearty "You got it!" before hastily making her way to the cupboard to do just that while Guzma let out a quiet but exasperated sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've really been wanting to write more about that fun, awkward, pre-confession time they lived together between chapters ten and fourteen!
> 
> This is a pattern you'll notice with Moon and Guz. Moon is a very kind/generous person with very poor social awareness, and this can be a dangerous combo in that it invites people, and even pokemon, to take advantage of her in various ways. Not all of them are bad, or even necessarily aware they're doing it, but Guzma gets extremely angry when he sees it happening and lets the other party know it in no uncertain terms. This causes some turbulence in their friendship/relationship in the beginning, but over time, Moon gains a bit more awareness and learns to speak up for herself thanks to him. :B


	6. The Lost Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Occurs at various points before the events of Fluffy.

It was the day of the annual Junior's Tournament on Melemele Island. A small arena just outside Hau'oli City was clamoring with activity.

Fifty young hopefuls, ages five through ten, had entered from across the islands, and only four remained. A stocky young boy clad in purple shorts, a grey tank top and purple visor partially obscured by his fluffy head of inky black hair was currently in the lead, while his opponent, a slightly older boy, had been backed into a corner.

"Rock throw!" the older child shouted in frustration.

The clearly-exhausted Alolan Graveler did as its trainer commanded, but after several agilities worth of previous attempts, things were looking fairly bleak, and without missing a beat, the younger boy shouted yet another command of his own.

"Spinarak! Dodge it and use sticky web on the arena!"

What the spider lacked in power, it more than made up for in stealth. The small bug type darted and weaved across the field with remarkable speed and dexterity, using each opening between its opponents attacks as an opportunity to lay down more thick, sticky webbing around it.

The other child growled between gritted teeth. "Don't let it get away, Graveler! Use thunder punch!"

The rock type clenched its fist tightly, sparks emanating from where its thick, rocky fingers dug into its palm and moving to strike, when a look of surprise quickly washed over its features as its thick legs refused to budge beneath it. In its distraction, the Graveler had inadvertently stepped into a pool of the spider's sticky thread, effectively anchoring the large pokemon to the spot.

"Spinarak, hurry and cover it! Now!" the dark-haired boy commanded urgently.

The tiny spider nodded to its master, shooting more and more of the substance atop the enraged Graveler and circling it all the while as the opposing trainer shouted more commands in vain. Just as its face was being covered, the other boy stomped his foot angrily and issued a final command.

"Explosion!"

A bead of sweat dripped down the other trainer's face as beams of light peeked out between the electric type's thick cocoon prison. The audience went so silent in that moment that one could have heard a pin drop, before a muffled boom shook the ground around them, stirring up dust and causing all humans and pokemon on the premises to cough between hurried glances toward the arena. When the smoke cleared, Spinarak could be seen, still standing, while the imprisoned Graveler remained still. Its silken prison was blackened and smoking, and after another moment, fell away, disintegrating into a pile of dust around its now-unconscious captive.

The referee sprinted onto the arena, kneeling down beside the blackened, soot-covered creature to determine his suspicions before holding up a hand and shouting. "Graveler is unable to battle! Guzma wins the match!"

The audience erupted into thunderous applause as the two youths shook hands and faced them. Scanning the many faces, Guzma was quickly able to spot Burnet and Kukui eagerly cheering him on in the front row before chancing a glance at the person he most wanted to see; a man in his thirties or so who, in contrast to the boisterous crowd, was sitting quietly with his arms crossed and an unreadable expression on his face.

 

* * *

 

In the end, three children stood at a podium in the center of the arena, with Guzma standing giddily atop the second highest platform.

Second. Out of fifty contestants, he'd beaten all but one, and he couldn't have been more excited.

"Congratulations, young man!" an older woman congratulated him with a cheerful smile, handing him a silver trophy. It was heavy for its size, and a quick inspection revealed why; it was made of real, polished metal. It had a pokeball carved into the top, and leafy vines wrapped around the base and handles. He was brought back to attention when she spoke again, addressing the audience. "Let's have a round of applause for Guzma, ladies and gentlemen!"

He faced the crowd, holding up the silver trophy that gleamed in the sun with an equally bright smile that showed two missing teeth. Men, women, children and a few pokemon were seated on the bleachers, applauding in acknowledgement. The moment felt unreal, euphoric, even, yet a single man in the cheering audience remained silent with his arms crossed. The boy's smile fell slightly when their eyes met, but returned once two other children rushed to his side excitedly.

"That was unreal, cousin!" Kukui beamed, notebook in hand. "I've never seen sticky web used like that! Mind if I ask a few questions?!"

"Honestly, Kukui, can't you put that thing away for even a moment?" Burnet chided lightly before turning her attention to the young boy as well. "You were amazing, Guzma! Congratulations!"

"Heh. Thanks," He replied proudly, rubbing his nose with a smirk while his two friends fawned over him.

"We're gonna go to the shaved ice stand here in a few. Wanna come? My treat!"

Guzma followed their gaze, but noticed the man walking away in his peripheral vision.

"Uh, maybe some other time. I gotta head out... Later!"

Burnet and Kukui waved him off before venturing to the snack stand while Guzma ran off in the opposite direction, waving the man down.

"Hey, Dad! Look! I did it! I got second this time! Second!" he exclaimed, holding up the trophy as if to prove his words. His expression and tone were eager, but they held a desperate, almost pleading quality as well.

"And?" his father replied coldly, his mood a stark contrast to the bubbly boy beneath him, causing Guzma to stop awkwardly mid-approach.

"Uh..."

"What were you hoping for? Praise? Second gets you nowhere in life. Is that what you want to aspire to? _Second best?_ We'll chalk this up to another bad run. Get in the car," he spat, not sparing his child another glance as he turned to walk away. His words were like needles, poking holes in his excitement one by one as he processed them, until little more than an empty, bitter feeling remained in the pit of his stomach. The sparkle gone from his eyes, he quietly followed him to the van.

"That's the problem with kids today; they coddle you with nonsense like that," he spoke from behind the wheel, taking a drag off his cigarette. "The Kahuna's are out of their damn minds."

Gazing at his warped reflection in the silver metal, the young trainer sat quietly with tears streaming down his cheeks in the back seat. Second. Out of fifty contestants, he'd beaten all but one, and he couldn't have been more ashamed of himself.

 

* * *

 

It was dark by the time they returned, and after a silent dinner, Guzma retired to his room for the night. He was mentally and physically exhausted, and no longer in a positive way.

"Chch..."

"It's okay, Boomer," he sighed, patting the timid pokemon after it emerged from under his bed and skittered up to his shoulder with a worried chitter. Though they were slowly but surely making progress, the tiny Wimpod was still too frail and skittish to be safely used in a tournament setting yet, and it was clear from its expression that it felt guilty.

Guzma set the trophy atop the table by his bed with a sigh. There was a time when he'd looked forward to competitions and treasured these medals, but now their glistening bronze and silver presence just seemed to be mocking him. They were a reminder of how much he'd struggled, only to fall short. He gritted his teeth, hanging his head forward and clawing at his scalp in frustration before finally balling his fists at his sides and proclaiming "It's like he says, I just gotta get stronger!"

"Chch!" Wimpod chirped, pleased to see his trainer in better spirits.

 

* * *

 

"Ruff!"

Rockruff yipped happily, chasing Wimpod playfully and circling between the three children's feet as they walked along the sidewalk in Hau'oli City.

"What should we do today, guys?" Kukui questioned, scooping the excitable pup into his arms while the bug type scurried up Guzma's leg to cling against his back.

"How about a movie?" Burnet suggested.

"Nah," Guzma spoke, taking a swig from his can of soda.

Even for Alola, it was a positively sweltering afternoon, and their options for entertainment were limited.

"The beach, then? It's a good day for swimming," she offered, gazing down at the shoreline to their left where many people and pokemon were doing just that. It held no appeal to their friend, however.

"Nope," he immediately declined again. Guzma didn't even seem to consider her suggestions before shooting them down, and the silver-haired girl puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

"Okay, Guzma. What do _you_ think we should do?" she finally asked, hips at her sides and a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Train. Anythin' else's a waste of time."

"But it's h _ooo_ t out, cousin. All you want to do these days is train. Let's just hang back for today, yeah? There's lots of time for that," Kukui interjected, earning a scowl from the other boy.

"Real easy for **you** to say... "

Kukui paused, finding his response odd.

"It'll evolve when it's ready to evolve. What's the rush?"

He didn't answer. Instead, Guzma squeezed the now-empty can in his hand, turning his knuckles white as he crushed it before tossing it into the nearby waste bin.

 

* * *

 

"N-ghh..."

In a dimly lit basement on Route Two, a young boy sat in a chair beneath a tall figure, shirtless and covered in sweat.

"Guzma... What is wrong with you?" The man above him spoke in an uneven tone, squeezing the item grasped tightly within his fist.

Alola was still, in many ways, a part of the old world. While it had become frowned upon with time as other cultures migrated to the islands, corporal punishment still wasn't unheard of. It was fairly common for children to be spanked or swatted on their bottoms with a small, thin branch when they did something particularly egregious. Guzma's father, however, took things to an extreme that would give even the most old-fashioned Alolans pause, had they, or anyone, known about it. There were no open palms or twigs in this household. There was, however, a belt. The boy cried out as its leathery material snapped harshly against not his fleshy bottom, but the thin, sensitive expanse of skin across his back. He'd lost yet another competition. This time, he came in fourth. He didn't even make the top three, and was currently reaping the consequences of his failure.

"Don't you understand what this does to me?!" he continued, pacing the room. "I fed you, clothed you, even stayed with that insufferable slut, and how do you repay me? What was the point of keeping you **if all you're capable of is _FAILURE?!"_**

The belt collided with Guzma's welted flesh yet again, causing him to hunch over hacking before he felt his father's large hand grasp his jaw roughly, forcing his head up to gaze into crazed, cold grey eyes. His breath reeked of alcohol as he spoke in a low, threatening tone.

"Don't fail me again. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

 

* * *

 

"Excellent work, you three! I'll see you next week!" Hala praised, waving the trio off.

It was noon. Guzma, Burnet and Kukui were walking along the dirt road in Iki Town after their weekly training session with the Kahuna when Kukui looked to the other child with concern.

"What's the matter, cousin? Got a stomach ache?"

"It's nothin'," he lied, sounding slightly irritated at his friend's prying.

"It doesn't seem like nothing. Tell us what's going on. You've been acting strange lat-"

Kukui was interrupted the moment he placed a hand on the other boy's back. It had been a gentle gesture, but the sweat was already stinging Guzma's still-fresh welts concealed beneath his shirt. The added pain and uncomfortable line of questioning from his friend proved to be a bad combination.

"I SAID IT'S NOTHIN'!" he snapped angrily, harshly shoving Kukui away and causing him to fall bottom first on the ground with a look of hurt and surprise before Burnet rushed to help him.

It was around this time Burnet and Kukui had begun to notice changes in their young friend. Guzma had always been a bit rough around the edges and prone to mischief, but he was never cruel or mean spirited before, and that was changing.

"Just... lay off! You guys're pissin' me off!"

"Us?! **You're** the one with the terrible attitude! What's your problem?!" Burnet demanded angrily after rushing to Kukui's side, helping him up before he brushed himself off.

Guzma's eye caught on his friend's knee. It had been scuffed in the fall, and a droplet of blood was now streaming down his shin. Though not serious, the fact that he'd been the cause of it seemed to snap him out of his anger while other unpleasant emotions took hold. He clenched his fists before turning his back.

_"Tch!"_

The two children watched as the third disappeared down the dirt road with his back to them, starting at a walking pace before breaking into a sprint.

 

* * *

 

He slid the upper portion of his body to hang over the bed. As he glanced around the upside down room, his eye catching on the trophies. He scowled, making a disgusted sound and folding his arms behind his head as he began the first, tentative movements.

Up and down.

Up and down.

Guzma continued for a long while until he felt himself flipping, and before he could react, he fell backwards onto the the nape of his neck and smacked the back of his head against the floor with a pained grunt.

"Chchch!"

"I gotta get stronger..." he muttered, wincing as he rose to his feet and resuming despite his pokemon's protest.

The pokemon whined and fretted as it watched his young trainer. It paced the room nervously before dawning a determined look and attempting some crunches of its own.

 

* * *

 

Another week passed. Kukui and Burnet left after finishing their training session with Hala, but Guzma remained in the main room, looking uneasy. Hala had requested that the youngest of the three stay behind, and he assumed it was related to the previous week's scuffle.

"Way to go, Kukui. Ya snitch," he muttered under his breath before Hala emerged from the kitchen with two steaming cups and placed them on the table, motioning for Guzma to sit beside him.

"Am I in trouble?"

"Not at all," he replied calmly, taking a sip of his herbal tea while the boy beside him did the same with the freshly-made cup of his favorite tapu cocoa.

"Is there anything you want to talk to me about, Guzma?" the kahuna questioned gently.

There was a brief but uncomfortable pause while the boy seemed to mull his words over, his eyes uncertain as he peered at his distorted reflection in the cup. A part of him wanted, desperately, to tell him. He wanted someone who would listen, to make it stop, however the other part of him was ashamed, embarrassed, and terrified of the consequences, and that, unfortunately, was the part that won out.

"Nope. Nothin'."

"Are you certain of that? You know you can tell me anything," He continued, leaning in and meeting the boy's gaze. Guzma felt his pulse quicken, but maintained a cool countenance.

"Nah. I'm good. Thanks for the cocoa," he replied evenly, taking a final chug before placing it back on the tray. "Uh, if that's all, can I go now?"

Hala remained silent for a moment, searching Guzma's face before giving his student a reluctant nod.

 

* * *

 

Things began taking a nosedive in his fifth year.

It started with a chubby, bespectacled boy. The perfect test. His pride wouldn't allow him to go after the girls, but the doughy-faced young man was, quite literally, a soft target in his own right. Too soft. He didn't put up a fight. It took nothing to send his round form tumbling to the ground where he could break his glasses and bloody his fat, irritating face. The end result of him screeching, wailing and begging him to stop didn't leave Guzma feeling especially accomplished, but being on the giving end did provide some much-needed catharsis. He enjoyed it. He enjoyed hurting others, and as the months went on, his name became infamous among the children.

Soon, he found himself craving more challenging targets. The bigger and tougher they were, the more satisfying it was to beat them down. The last incident would involve an older boy in his sixth year; by far the largest child in school and a bully in his own right. Unfortunately, his parents were members of the school board. They had money and connections.

 

* * *

 

It all came to a head one stormy evening in Iki Town. A cacophony of angry voices filled the main room of Hala's house.

"He needs to be put in a juvenile detention center! It's well past time! Our children aren't safe with him around!"

"Yes, I share your concern, but I've worked with Guzma for some time, and he was a good child prior to these incidents. There must be an explanation."

"An explanation?! My son had to have his jaw wired shut because of that little hellion! The kid's a monster and you're enabling him!"

"Agreed. Of course you'll let him off the hook because he's one of your favorites," another parent, a woman this time, interjected bitterly. "What do you intend to do? Wait until he kills someone? That's where this is heading. He belongs locked up in a facility where they can deal with him, not among our children."

"I will do no such thing."

"I'm warning you, Hala; you may be the Kahuna, but the days when that gave you total authority are over. If that little freak so much as LOOKS at my boy the wrong way again, I'll-"

Said kahuna raised his hand. "I understand. I'll see to it that he's properly disciplined, but I implore you; _please_ allow me a chance to investigate this further."

 

* * *

 

"YOU SQUEALED, DIDN'T YOU, BOY?! RATTED ME OUT TO THAT GOOD-FOR-NOTHING KAHUNA!" the man shouted, whipping the belt against Guzma's shoulders so hard that they bled.

"Ngh! N-no..."

"Don't LIE to me!" he shrieked back in response, unleashing a particularly heavy blow that the sobbing boy was sure had cracked bone.

"I really didn't!" the boy cried. "I didn't say nothin'! AH!"

His words did nothing but anger him further, but they were the truth.

"Oh, Guzma. What is wrong with you...?" he exhaled shakily, dropping to his knees and embracing the child before drawing a pokeball out of his pocket.

"W-what're you doin'?"

He didn't answer. Instead, a beam of light radiated from the ball's center. It took on the shape of a pokemon before fading to reveal a Zangoose, which looked to its trainer confusion while Guzma's breath quickened.

"Fury cutter."

The normal type didn't look much happier with the situation than the child in front of it, but its master's orders were absolute. Its red, slitted eyes locked onto its target.

The pain was unlike anything he'd experienced before as thick, sharp talons raked his flesh over and over. Unlike the welts, the marks from this day, and many more to follow, would never heal. They would leave deep, unsightly craters, discolored burns, and lines upon lines of raised, mangled flesh.

Screams filled the room as the pokemon continued its assault on its defenseless target. By the time it was recalled, Guzma's back was unrecognizable. There was a long stretch of silence, the boy's panting the only audible sound before the man above him spoke again.

"I don't want you going to that school anymore."

Guzma rasped, catching his breath and locking eyes with his father. There was no sadness in his gaze, no longing for his approval, only a deep, smoldering hatred.

"...Yes, sir."

 

* * *

 

As promised, he dropped out of school that year with the intention of joining his friends on the island challenge. Friends? No, the word was hardly appropriate anymore. Sure, they were his travel companions, but as Burnet and Kukui continued to grow closer, Guzma grew increasingly distant from the two. They were infatuated with each other, and the closer they became, the more apparent it became that he was the third wheel. Between that and everything else that had transpired, the once cheerful boy had grown into an angry, bitter shadow of his younger self, though he was in notably higher spirits today. The three were currently on their way to appeal to the island's guardian; Tapu-Koko. Receiving a stone would mean they'd been given its blessing to officially begin their trials, and Guzma walked ahead of the two with an almost cocky confidence.

However, it wasn't to be.

"This should be the place..." Kukui remarked, looking between the map in his hands and the thick vegetation surrounding them. The entire area was shrouded in a thick mist, and glowing, yellow particles glittered in the air. There was a steep, rocky cliff ahead with vines, moss and mushrooms growing on it in abundance. The aged wooden planks marking the temple's entrance could easily be missed, but their faded yellow paint stood out just enough to catch his attention.

"There!" he chirped, pointing to the small opening before the trio made their way inside.

The temple's interior was far larger than one would expect based on its humble entrance. Giant tree roots crept down the stone walls, which were covered from floor to ceiling in intricate carvings depicting various scenes of people and pokemon, worshiping, consorting with and living among island guardians, accompanied by runes in an unknown script. The golden particles danced in the air even thicker, and torches lined the path ahead, kept lit by an unknown force.

The three children gawked at their mysterious and somewhat intimidating surroundings before making their way up the path, eventually reaching an altar. Burnet and Kukui keeled immediately, with Guzma awkwardly following their lead, his countenance more impatient than reverent.

A few moments passed, and the younger trainer spoke irritably under his breath. "What's the holdup?"

"Shh!" Burnet scolded quietly before the three were brought to attention. There was a heavy feeling in the air, and not a moment later, the pokemon they'd been seeking had appeared in front of them in a burst of golden light. It had an overwhelming, almost otherworldly presence, though it did not evoke fear in the children; only awe.

"W-we've come seeking your blessing for the island challenge!" Kukui finally spoke up, bowing deeply as he did so.

The ancient creature looked over the three, its intense emerald eyes locking with each of them, as if it were searching their very souls.

"Koko!" it finally called out, startling the trio before reaching its hands out to the elder two. Burnet and Kukui glanced between it and each other, cautiously holding out their hands and watching in awe as a glistening, white stone was placed in each.

Guzma watched the exchange, waiting expectantly with bated breath. The guardian withdrew its outstretched arms from the two new trial goers, giving them an approving nod before... turning its back to the three of them and floating away. The third child chased after it.

"Hey! Wait! What about me?!"

The pokemon turned to face the distressed youth below it.

"I'm doin' the challenge, too!" Guzma shouted desperately, yet the pokemon did not move. "And I trained way harder than _those two!_ WHY?!" he demanded, hurt and anger beginning to rise in his voice in equal measure.

The island's guardian did not respond, and before Guzma could engage it further, just as mysteriously as it had appeared, it vanished into a mass of golden orbs. He crumpled to his knees in silence before Kukui spoke hesitantly.

"Cousin..."

"DON'T TALK TO ME!" he shrieked, his voice echoing throughout the temple and causing a few bird pokemon to fly from the palm trees surrounding it outside. Both children jerked back in alarm, speechless from his reaction.

"...Heh. Hala lied. All that garbage about friendship and teamwork. What a joke," he spoke with a sardonic smile, calming his voice and brushing himself off as he rose to his feet again. "But that's life, ain't it?" he continued, facing the two. "It's rotten to the core. There's the people who get left behind, and the ones who have it all handed to 'em on a silver platter," he concluded venomously, sparing Kukui a final, hateful glare before walking off.

"Where are you going?" Burnet asked, her voice dreary in contrast to the day's previous excitement.

"To get stronger on my own. Later."

He didn't spare them another glance as he disappeared down the dark path to the entrance. The sight of his back would be the last they saw of their friend for a long time.

 

* * *

 

Guzma looked himself over in the mirror. Puberty was slowly creeping in. His voice was growing deeper, and while new hair had begun to appear on his body, the curly locks further north seemed to be undergoing a transformation of their own. His previously dark head of thick, fluffy hair was slowly but surely growing lighter, as jet black strands were replaced with snowy white ones, creating a dark grey appearance in the transition. This was all of little interest to him, though. What had captured his attention at the moment were his muscles. His hard work seemed to finally be paying off with interest, as his tall form had begun filling out quite nicely. So nicely, in fact, that it would be a shame not to test it out on a worthy opponent. For the first time, he spoke back to his father.

"Where're the rest of my smokes?! I know I had more in here than that!" the man demanded angrily as he discovered yet another empty packet of cigarettes. "Do you know something about this, Guzma?!"

Said trainer remained silent within the kitchen, finishing his meal as if he'd heard nothing. His father narrowed his eyes suspiciously before approaching the young man, leaning in and sniffing near his hair. He was met with the faint but distinct scent of tobacco.

"...It was _you!_ You've been stealing from me?!"

"Heh. What about it?" he replied with the smallest hint of a smirk.

His father's face grew red with rage as the veins on his forehead seemed to threaten to burst through his skin. He grabbed Guzma by the collar, forcing him to face him.

"Don't get belligerent with _me,_ brat."

There was a pregnant pause before he met his gaze with equal intensity. Something in the younger male's eyes sent a small chill down the elder man's spine.

"Fuck you."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME, BOY?!"

"I said _**FUCK YOU!"**_

A deranged smile overtook the teen's face as predator became prey. It was a far easier feat than he'd imagined. While Guzma trained his body, years of heavy smoking and drinking had left his father overweight and out of shape. A swift punch to the gut was all it took to have him on the ground. He was far from finished with him, though. His body seemed to go into autopilot as he straddled his chest, preventing him from squirming away while he began dealing blow after blow to his face. He broke his nose, shattered his orbital socket and knocked out several of his front teeth for good measure. He beat him down, and beat him down, and never let up, until his father's face was an unrecognizable, bloody pulp, and the man who so terrified him before had been rendered a pathetic, cowering mess, pleading for his life through raspy, gurgling sobs. Guzma wasn't sure when his father lost consciousness, only that his fists had began to slip on contact with the crimson liquid now streaming down his nose and mouth. He became aware of an unpleasant crackling sound made whenever the older man gasped for air, along with his own heavy breathing. He gazed down at his bloodied hands, attempting to process the situation when a terrified female voice was heard.

"What in Arceus name is-!" his mother stood shaking in the doorway at the sight that greeted her of her husband, crumpled by a small pool of blood on the floor with a figure looming over him. Her quivering eyes darted between him and the monster that had assumed the shape of her son. "Guzma..."

He didn't answer or meet her gaze. Instead, he hurriedly went about stuffing his backpack with canned food, a few water bottles, and finally, all the cash in his unconscious father's wallet. Swinging the door to his room open, he called out to the pokemon trembling beneath his bed.

"C'mon, Boomer! We're leavin'!"

"Chch?!" it responded, sensing the urgency in its trainer's voice and darting out from its hiding spot to take refuge in his blood-stained hoodie.

"I-I'm calling the police!"

It would prove to be a futile effort on his mother's part. Team and hurriedly-collected supplies secured, Guzma dashed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

 

* * *

 

He wasn't sure how long he ran. Thirty minutes? An hour? Two? It was as if the very concept of time and being tired ceased to exist while he fled down the main highway without stopping, eventually thinking better of it and making a turn for the forest when he heard sirens blaring in the distance, but it had been light out when he sprinted out of his house on Route Two, and it was now completely dark. His senses were slowly coming back to him. His feet hurt, his firsts stung, and his throat was dry and sore. His legs became shaky, the physical exertion and stress of the day finally winning out against adrenaline as he collapsed onto the grass. He was exhausted, and now that the excitement of the moment had come and gone, a heavy sense of hopelessness overcame him.

"Chch?"

Wimpod crept out of his hoodie, nudging its whiskered snout against his chin in concern. Its trainer, however, was despondent.

As Guzma gazed up at the starless night between the trees above him, he felt a drop of rain fall onto his nose, with more soon following. He wrapped his arms around his legs, burying his head in his knees and doing everything in his power not to cry as the sky did so in his stead.

"Chchchch..."

A strange sensation overcame the him as a a brief flash of light emanated from behind him, causing the trainer to jerk in momentary panic, believing it to be the police. He was surprised when a firm yet gentle embrace prevented him from rising to his feet. The rain fell heavily around him, yet no longer pelted his head and shoulders. Confused, he glanced up again, only to gape in surprise at the massive creature now looming above him, holding him protectively in its large claws. The pokemon bore little physical resemblance to his first companion. Its thick armor plating, deadly claws and giant stature were nearly the antithesis of the flattened, skittish little bug he knew, yet it was still somehow familiar.

"Boomer?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS HURT MY HEART BUT IT HAD TO BE DONE.
> 
> I mentioned on Twitter that I would address Guzma's dark hair (or my interpretation of it, anyway!) in the anime. Although it was darker, I noticed the top part that's later white was still a fair bit lighter than the black undercut, which could have possibly meant he was going white, which is what happens in my story. While Fluffy isn't based on the anime, I genuinely loved his alternate look, so I wanted to pay homage to/include it somehow!


	7. A Cure For What Ails You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Occurs between chapters thirteen and fourteen of Fluffy.

Guzma sneezed, cursing under his breath as he rubbed his ice-cold bare arms. The trainers were currently trudging through Mount Lanakila in search of a potential ultra beast, and while neither were dressed appropriately for the bitterly cold climate, there was a noticeable difference in how they were handling the snowy peak.

"HOW are you not even s-shiverin'?!" he finally shouted in frustration, his breath creating small, visible puffs of air with every word.

"Us Sinnohans are built for the cold!" Moon replied cheerfully while thumping a fist against her chest. Unlike her companion, she found the frigid mountain air downright pleasant, and reminiscent of her old home. "Right, Swinub?"

"Swine!" the pig pokemon squealed in delight as it tunneled through the deep, freshly fallen snow nearby, briefly poking its pink, twitching nose out before disappearing yet again.

"Oh. I guess Alolans probably aren't used to it, though..."

"N-no s-s-shit, Sherlock," he hissed irritably through chattering teeth.

"In Snowpoint, we have special underwear made from Larvesta wool for outsiders to wear. Say! I could probably order some for you for next time! What are you, an XL?"

Guzma was about to retort when both trainers paused as loud cracking sounds erupted from the mountain's peak. They exchanged glances before nodding to one another and ascending the slope as quickly as possible in the snow, with Guzma lagging behind a fair bit.

"Whoa..." Moon gaped at the sight that awaited her at the top. A large group of Minior were engaged in a heated clash with a similarly-sized colony of Alolan Sandshrew. The ice types would curl themselves into tightly coiled balls and roll toward the rock types with impressive speed before they collided, causing sparks to fly and occasionally breaking their opponents free of their protective outer shells with a brilliant flash of light, in which case, they would retreat. Guzma arrived soon after, joining Moon and looking down at the scene in befuddlement.

"Th'hell's this? There's no beasts here."

"Oooh, I've read about this! They fight over the best nesting sites! They rarely kill each other, but it gets super intense. This must be what they were picking up at Aether..." Moon concluded, still watching the spectacle in awe.

Guzma sniffed, brushing his forearm under his red nose. "What're you on about?"

"Well, the air is really thin up here, so drones are a no-go, and it's too cold for the Zubat. Aether picked up some small distortions in the electromagnetic field, but _the problem is,_ ultra beasts aren't the only thing that can-"

"IN ENGLISH, EGGHEAD," the former boss interrupted impatiently, his brain far too cold to sort through the small woman's technical jargon.

"In layman's terms? Looker dun goofed."

"MOTHERF-"

 

* * *

 

"Fuck Hooker, yo. Makin' us, _HACK_ search that entire _COUGH_ Arceusforsaken mountain for **nothin'**..." he ended with a pained groan.

"Hang in there, Fluffy, I'm almost done!" Moon called out from the kitchen amid sounds of boiling liquid and vigorous chopping. She stirred a large pot filled with some thick, bubbling substance before emptying the finely-minced contents of her chopping board into it, lifting the large spoon to her lips and taking a small, experimental sip.

"That should about do it..."

Finding it acceptable, she adjusted the temperature on the stove, giving it another stir and leaving it to simmer as she made her way back to the extra room Guzma had been using with a fresh cloth in hand. He was sitting in bed beneath the covers, propped up by several pillows, and looked positively miserable.

"If you don't improve by tomorrow, I'll have to take you to the clinic..." she spoke seriously as she removed the warm, damp cloth from his forehead, which had been cold when she'd placed it there.

"Like hell!"

 _"Guzma,"_ Moon warned, crossing her arms.

"What're ya gonna do, carry me?"

"No, but Snorlax will," she stated plainly.

He grumbled, closing his eyes and too tired to continue the argument further. They fluttered back open in confusion not a moment later as he felt her hand make contact his forehead. She brushed his hair away from his damp brow, leaning in and pressing her forehead gently against his own. Guzma's eyes went wide as saucers, and though he was already flushed, her unexpected action seemed to increase the redness of his face tenfold. Moon, on the other hand, was completely unfazed, her brows furrowed in concentration.

"Hmm... You're still pretty warm," she remarked worriedly, pulling away and grabbing the fresh, cold towel to replace the old one. His eyes remained locked on the petite trainer as she positioned it carefully over his forehead. Satisfied, she moved to get up, but jumped when she felt a large hand snatch her wrist firmly, preventing her from doing so.

"What is it?! Are you okay?!"

The former Skull leader looked in panic between her surprised face and where his hand had taken hold of her, seemingly of its own accord.

"Er! Yeah..." he blurted out, recoiling his hand as if her skin had burned him.

"Are you sure? You're not having delusions, are you? Do you want me to sit with you for a while?"

He did. He really, truly did. Desperately. He wasn't about to admit it, though. Not on her life.

"No. And whatever. Do what you want."

Moon looked him over worriedly before being brought to attention by the kitchen timer beeping in the next room.

"Oh, it's ready! I'll be _right_ back!" the dark-haired trainer called out while she hurriedly made her way to the kitchen and returned just as promptly, a tray and steaming bowl in hand. "This stuff is my personal miracle worker! ...Well, okay, maybe not _miracle worker_. It started out as my attempt at creating a life-extension elixir, which didn't pan out, but it **does** cure the sniffles! It's got tons of vitamin c and antioxidants," She explained, taking a spoonful of the thick, rust-colored broth and blowing on it gently before raising it to Guzma's mouth.

_"...Eh?!"_

It went without saying for his father, but Guzma's mother had never been the type to dote on him, either. It never particularly bothered him, as he'd known nothing else. When he was ill, he'd haul up in his room with sports drinks, cold medicine and comics to pass the time. Golisopod, a Wimpod at the time, would remain at his side and fret over him, but there was little it could do other than keep him company. He'd made it through worse than this just fine, and the female trainer's doting was proving... distressing.

"You have to try to eat," she urged, lifting the spoon closer to the ex Skull leader's lips insistently. "Come on. I know It doesn't smell the best, but it tastes great, I promise! If it's nothing serious, you'll feel a lot better by tomorrow."

"That ain't the problem! I'm not a damn baby or an invalid! What's next, gonna chew it and gimme mouth-to-mouth?!" he barked back, the scarlet hue of his face spreading all the way to his ears now.

Moon was taken aback, but seemed to seriously consider his question before answering. "Well, I don't think you could really choke on this. I cut the chunky bits up pretty small, and they're soft. Do you want me to? I've never done it before, but I read about it in The Doomsday Survival Manual so I could probably-"

Guzma covered his face in a silent scream.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want to go to the hospital? You look _really_ red."

"JUST GIMME THE DAMN SOUP."

Moon blinked at his outburst, but soon smiled in relief as he begrudgingly opened his mouth. He looked awkward as could be as she carefully slipped the silver spoon between his lips.

"...It's spicy."

"Yep! It's chalk-full of Poni radishes and Haina peppers, so it's a natural decongestant. If there's anything gunking up your upper-respiratory tract, you _will_ cough it up in the next thirty minutes, guaranteed!" she concluded proudly with a toothy grin. The man beneath her briefly crinkled his nose in disgust at the unnecessary description, but his expression soon fell to something softer and less discernible.

"Nasty... S'good, though."

"Hehe. Told you," she replied with a triumphant grin.

Guzma could only accept a few more spoonfuls before his heart's attempts to burst out of his rib cage became too distracting, and he took the spoon from her to finish the remainder himself. There was a long silence while he ate, but Moon didn't find it uncomfortable as she remained at his side. She was relieved to see him digging in, and slowly but surely, her companion seemed to regain some of his strength.

"...Why me?" he finally asked, though it sounded like more of a statement than a question.

"Hmm?" Moon responded, removing the now-empty plate and tray from his lap and setting them aside on a nearby table to take out with her later.

"Why go to all this trouble for someone like me? I get you're not the brightest bulb, but you know who I am."

It wasn't the first time he'd asked such a thing, nor would it be the last. Moon didn't understand his fixation on the subject or why he held such a low opinion of himself, and the latter deeply bothered her. On the surface, the former Skull leader seemed arrogant. During their first encounter, he'd introduced himself as 'destruction in human form' and it wouldn't be the last time he used that description, yet as time went on, another side of him was revealed, and he would pivot between that thin, smug outer veneer, and moments like this, where his true feelings of self-loathing rose to the surface. Yes, he'd made mistakes, big ones, but they were in the past now, and he was actively helping to repair the damage he'd caused, so why? Why did he still condemn himself so harshly...?

"You're Guzma: my partner," she stated matter-of-factly, wringing out a fresh cloth and placing it atop his furrowed brow.

"You don't need me," he pressed further, and Moon gaped incredulously.

"Are you _kidding?!_ I could never have handled that mess in Diglett's Tunnel on my own, and if it weren't for you, I'd be a Buzzwole kebab!"

"Didn't hafta be me. You coulda asked Kukui or Blondie Boy with the same result."

Moon bit her lip in frustration. She knew through facing off against him that Guzma would make an excellent partner, but he wasn't wrong, either; there _were_ other strong trainers who could have potentially helped her. In truth, what ultimately pushed her to seek him out over the others was the simple fact that she wanted to see him again. She couldn't bring herself to say that, though. It was too embarrassing, and would probably just anger him, anyway.

"Well, I didn't. I asked **you,** so try to rest up, okay? I can't do this alone, so I need you in tip-top shape," she concluded, pulling the covers up to his chin as she did so.

She needed him. Temporarily, perhaps, but hearing those words, especially from Moon, made him secretly giddy all the same.

"Y'know..." he began.

She turned to meet his gaze while he searched her face. Her eyes were the color of ice, yet they had a soft, warm quality to them. They were a contradiction, which he supposed was fitting considering their owner. Moon herself was a perplexing contradiction.

"...You're _really_ weird."

Despite his rude statement, the former boss was smiling at her. A rare, warm, genuine smile that seemed infectious, as Moon was soon smiling, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I NEEDED to write him being pampered after that last chapter.
> 
> About the Sinnohan thing: In my verse, humans in the Pokemon world almost have "typings" of their own in a much, much smaller sense. While you won't see any humans shooting icebeams or flamethrowers, depending on where they/their parents were born, they can have correlating strengths, weaknesses and health issues. Sinnohans have a much higher tolerance for cold climates and tend to struggle in the heat, and it's the exact opposite for Alolans. This concept actually played heavily into my decision to make Moon an Alolan Vulpix in my PMD spinoff!


	8. The Tooth Incident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Occurs a few years before the events of Fluffy.

It was an uneventful day on Akala Island. Guzma was making his way down one of the roads of Heahea City when loud crying caught his attention. A young man with bright, neon green hair sat crumpled on the sidewalk, holding a backpack tightly to his chest and sobbing freely into it. He went to continue walking when a particularly shrill wail made him ball his first and approach, if only to sate his curiosity.

"What's your problem, you're not hurt," he stated in annoyance.

"I-I, _hic,_ I'm heartbroken, yo!" he wailed.

"And sobbin' about it like a little bitch in public's gonna change that?"

"I got nowhere to gohoho, yo!" he bellowed, tears and snot streaming down his face. Guzma was once again about to keep walking, but found the sight so pitiably pathetic that he stayed put, at least to hear him out.

"Why? What happened?"

"W-well, I was workin' at da old folk's home. Took care of these four sassy old broads day in an' day out, rubbin' pain cream on their feet, feedin' 'em puddin'. They couldn't keep their hands off me."

"Oh. Well hey, that sucks, man," the taller male replied with the tiniest hint of sympathy creeping into his voice. While he still thought the young man to be an annoying idiot, he couldn't bring himself to be too cruel if he'd been sexually abused.

"What? No! It was awesome!"

**"Eh?!"**

"Yeah, yo. They was da best. Dere was da sweet one, da smart one, da old one, an' da really, really slutty one, aww man, she was my fa-"

"WILL YOU GET TO THE POINT?! If that wasn't it then what the hell's your problem?!"

"Well, dis rich asshole came an' bought da whole place out. He didn't care 'bout da girls, had 'em shipped off to one'a them shitty places so he could demolish it an' build a resort! I didn't even get to say goodbye, a-an' now I ain't got no job..."

Guzma exhaled, his nostrils visibly flaring as he did so. He was at a crossroads. On one hand, even after years on the street had hardened his heart, he couldn't help but have a soft spot for society's outcasts, which this young man clearly was... On the other, he was _incredibly_ irritating.

"...Alright. Listen up, numbskull!" he began, causing the man beneath him to jump in surprise. "I run with a hard crew, and we don't got room for no whiny, snivelin' babies, so all that cryin' shit? You gotta leave that at the door. You wanna survive with us, you're gonna have to fight, cheat and steal."

"A hard crew?"

"Damn right! And _I'm_ the hardest guy around!" he stated proudly, puffing his chest out with an arrogant smirk and causing a light blush to tint the green-haired man's cheeks.

"I dunno, yo, I'm pretty hard, too..."

"YOU THINK YOU'RE HARD, PUNK?!"

"W-well yeah, yo! I'm always hard!" the smaller man blurted out desperately as he was yanked up by his collar to look the white-haired man in the eyes.

Guzma examined him closely. He could tell he was sincere in his words, and... oddly eager. Mildly uncomfortably so. With a final, suspicious glance he set him down.

"Nah, you're gonna have to earn that title here. But fine, if you think you can run with us, I'll give ya a shot."

"R-really?!"

"Yeah. What's your name?"

"Tony! An' you?"

"Heh. It's "Boss" to you now. Stick with me, kid. We'll whip ya into shape."

"Aww furreal, yo?! I can't wait!" Tony beamed, practically skipping along the pavement beside his new boss before cheerfully reaching to the side and groping the taller man's ass.

 

* * *

 

"An' dat's how I lost dis tooth, yo!" the now-blue-haired man ended proudly.

"Wow, Tony, that sure was quite the story. Um... Why are you in a cage again?" Moon responded, glancing around the living room of Mina's house, apparently the only one confused by the current situation.

"It's his birthday," Plumeria responded boredly from her place on the couch, neither she nor Anya glancing away from the television as the ex Skull admin gave the metal box a kick, causing the whole thing to rattle.

"Oh! Happy birthday! Sorry, I didn't know or I would have gotten you something..." the petite trainer commented apologetically, but Tony immediately waved her off.

"Aww, dun worry 'bout it, sis! This's _more_ than enough."

"By the way, now that you've told me all this, I can't help but wonder; how did you three first meet?" she asked cautiously, her eyes darting between the him and the two other trainers in question. The former grunt looked to the pigtailed woman, who nodded her permission before he began to speak again.

"Well, Anya wan't in da picture yet back den, but..."

 

* * *

 

"Uh... Why're we in a barn, yo? I thought we was goin' to da ranch house..." Tony asked, his query muffled by the bloody tissue packed into his cheek.

It was after dark by the time they reached Paniola Ranch. While Guzma's new underling had apologized profusely and insisted it was a misunderstanding, the white-haired trainer still made sure to keep a generous distance between them along the way, shooting him occasional threatening glances to ensure his hands didn't wander again.

"You wish," Guzma replied. "This's where you'll be sleepin', and all the best spots are taken, so no whinin'."

"Taken?" he questioned.

Upon climbing a ladder to reach the top level, several unfamiliar faces awaited him. About fifteen people, both men and a few women, ranging in age from their teens to their twenties and clad mostly in black, were resting in the barn's attic. Two of them were sharing earbuds, bobbing their heads in sync to whatever they were listening to, a few were sleeping, while others played cards. And that's when he saw her. The most beautiful creature he'd ever laid eyes on. He awkwardly approached the woman, who was sitting on a bale of hay with her Salandit and painting her toenails.

"Ah, h-hi! I'm Tony!"

Her piercing gold, almond-shaped eyes met his for only a moment, as if dismissing him as a part of the scenery. Non-threatening. Uninteresting. Beneath her. Her body was tan and well-toned, slightly muscular yet not the least bit unfeminine, and her head was adorned with two long, pink and gold pigtails. She resumed polishing without a response, earning a few taunts and snickers from their onlookers before he spoke again.

"I-I could do dat for ya, yo!"

"...What." she responded dryly with a hint of irritation, raising an eyebrow at his odd statement.

"Yeah! I used t'do it all da time back at da old folk's home, on account'a their arthritis. I'm pretty good at it!"

She looked him up and down. While a bit too chatty for taste, he was young, pretty and dumb. Just the way she liked them. Oh, yes. She would _thoroughly_ enjoy breaking him in.

"Hmph," was her only verbal response, but the flushed man before her was delighted when she shifted position, presenting her partially-painted toes to him as if he were her personal servant.

He wasted no time in kneeling down and going to work, continuing the pattern of yellow and pink and oddly enough doing a far more precise job of it than she had. He'd even painted little designs on them.

"Watch out for that one. He's got grabby hands," Guzma warned, to which Plumeria merely shrugged, gazing down at her now perfectly-pedicured toes with a dark smirk while using the man's head as a living stool to rest her feet on.

"Then that settles it. From now on, you're Plume's bitch, and by extension, my bitch... but not that way. I SWEAR IF YOU EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN YOU'LL BE EATIN' PUDDIN' THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!"

"Dat's fine with me, yo. Man, dis's da best day ever!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know this is what we were ALL thinking when they talked about being hard. :B
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the latest Tony mini story! I wanted to write more about Team Skull's early days, as well as their resident perverted butt-monkey.


	9. EXP. Boost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Occurs between chapters sixteen and seventeen of Fluffy.

It was a quiet day in Moon's house. A week had passed since the incident in her guest bedroom, and the trainers had yet to receive further word from Looker on the Kartana's whereabouts after Moon's unexpected revelation put a halt to their last mission. She was happy, indescribably so, and yet...

"Hey..." the female trainer greeted briefly, taking a seat on the couch by Guzma and leaving easily enough room for three other people to sit between them.

"'Sup."

Since that fateful day in Guzma's room, she had absolutely no idea how to act or what to say in front of him.

They stayed like that for a while, each gazing at the television screen but neither particularly invested in watching it, until Guzma finally broke the heavy, awkward silence between them.

"What'd I do?" he asked flatly, and Moon looked to him in genuine confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"You know damn well what I mean! You were never this standoffish before the other day! I ain't poison, ya know!" he retorted angrily, though there was an unmistakable hurt in his voice as well, and that upset the dark-haired woman far more than the former.

"You didn't do anything! Seriously..." she tapered off. 

There was a small, worn section on the corner of the couch cushion that Popplio had made a habit of chewing on during Moon's first few weeks in Alola. She ran her fingers over the frayed fabric nervously as the seconds continued to tick by, tension still thick in the air. The events that led up to this moment felt like some strange, fevered dream. She'd thought for sure her blunder would ruin their tentative friendship, so to say Moon had been surprised when the former Skull leader's lips collided roughly with her own would have been an understatement. The way he'd looked at her, the feel of his strong arms embracing her, his scent, the day brought with it so many sensations and emotions; happiness, excitement, pleasure, fear and desire all swirled within her mind and body in a confusing cacophony that left her feeling paralyzed, and now, every time she saw him, the memory would come flooding back vividly.

She chanced another glance in Guzma's direction. He was hunched to the side slightly with his elbow resting on the arm of the couch, while his palm cradled the side of his head, his fowl mood was still etched clearly into his features.

"What can I do?"

"Well, not actin' like I could explode at any second'd be a good start."

"That's not entirely inaccurate, though," she quipped with a small, awkward chuckle before swallowing dryly. 

She knew things couldn't continue on like this. She was hurting the very person most important to her as well as herself. Something had to give, and so, steeling herself with a deep, resolute breath, she finally summoned the courage to verbalize one of several questions that had been eating at her for the past week.

"May I, um... kiss you?"

She was unable to look him in the eye, and when he didn't respond, she immediately began to backtrack.

"Er! We don't have to, of course! I just figured, you know-"

Guzma observed Moon for a long, embarrassing moment while she fumbled over her words, maintaining his poker face before finally breaking down and snickering when she looked him in the eyes. She was too adorable, and it made him want to pick on her a bit.

"Can kiss, fuck or anythin' in between. You don't gotta ask so formally," he replied casually with a smirk that turned Moon's face an even more impressive shade of scarlet than it already was.

"Er..."

"And just FYI, I _love_ eatin' pussy."

**"G-Guzma!"**

"What?"

"Just... do you have to be _so_ vulgar? Arceus..."

"I'm just sayin' I could rock your world," he punctuated the claim with a suggestive flick of his tongue, thoroughly enjoying her reactions. Though it was clear he was teasing her, there was an unmistakable confidence in his words that suggested he was fully capable of doing so.

She exhaled, dawning a determined expression. "...I'll try."

The former Skull leader's brows raised in surprise. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. B-but I can't promise I'll be any good! And I still don't think I'm ready for any below the belt... er... coital activities."

While it was, by far, the single least sexy way he'd ever heard someone refer to the subject at hand, the ex Skull leader was still pleased with the turn of events.

"Heh. Beats the cold shoulder you been givin' me the past week."

"I **told** you, I wasn-hnnt?!"

Moon was interrupted from her reply when Guzma scooted closer, grabbed her, and placed her over his lap in a way that left her straddling him suggestively.

"Prove it."

It wasn't a question. Moon was flushed all the way down her neck at this point, doing her best to maintain some semblance of composure. Guzma, meanwhile, looked cool as a cucumber. It wasn't fair. It made her frustrated, so, finally, with her eyes squeezed shut and mouth awkwardly puckered, the flustered trainer quickly leaned in and touched her stiff lips to his own. She remained that way for a few seconds before timidly opening one eye to see two others observing her with an expression she couldn't discern. She drew away, struggling to maintain eye contact.

"Um... Was that okay?"

"Heh. You really are a virgin," he concluded with an amused smirk. Though the comment was more playful than deprecating, Moon still took offense to it.

"Well jeez! Sorry for not living up to your expectations! Yes, I'm a virgin. And you know what? I **hate** it! I'm leaving now."

"Hold up," he cut her off, his arms preventing her from escape as she struggled angrily within his grip.

Moon was about to protest, but her words, whatever they may have been, were lost as his lips silenced hers with a kiss. It was the second she'd received, and the rush of blood to her cheeks and rapid thumping in her chest hit her just as strongly as it had during the first. Guzma did something new this time, however. He put his tongue in her mouth.

"Mph?!"

It happened so quickly that it took her a moment to realize exactly what he'd done. The feeling of his hot tongue wrapping around her own and exploring the inside of her mouth was incredibly foreign, yet not at all unpleasant; quite the opposite, in fact. Moon's eyelids grew heavy as she ceased her struggling, succumbing to the sensations. Upon feeling her relax in his arms, Guzma took on a more languid pace, peppering kisses and occasional playful nips along her neck and collarbone and eventually earning a small moan from the trainer in his arms.

"Heh, that was a nice reaction," he murmured approvingly against the junction of her neck and collarbone while his hands began to wander down her sides.

Although she was thoroughly enjoying the attention, Moon also felt like she was just hanging on for the ride. She wanted to reciprocate somehow, but all the new sensations were making it difficult to think, let alone move. Still, she managed to slide an arm around him and, after a bit of fumbling, gently run her palm up his broad shoulders until it came to a stop over the back of his head. The short, dark hair of his undercut had a different texture than the snowy locks above. It was bristly to the touch, and caused a pleasant sensation when she ran her fingertips over it experimentally before settling into a rhythm. The result looked more like she was petting him than anything else, but she hoped her awkward contribution would at least convey her affection.

While Moon had to push herself to take action, for Guzma, It was an exercise in self-control _not_ to push things too far. Unlike the trembling trainer in his arms, Team Skull's former leader was far from inexperienced, but just as it had when she was drunk, and even more so now that she was sober, having the woman he'd been pining for so long in his lap, making tiny mewls of approval and clenching her thighs around his waist, lit a fire under him that burned with an intensity he'd never experienced. He resolved not to touch her breasts or groin for the time being, but decided to take a chance in moving his hands further north, up her thighs, past her hips and...

'Did he just touch my butt?' Moon questioned inwardly with a jolt.

His large hands settled over her lower cheeks, giving them yet another, more confident squeeze, as if answering her unspoken query.

 **'He's touching my butt. He's touching my butt. SWEET TAP DANCING ARCEUS, HE'S TOUCHING MY BUTT!'** her mind screamed as the bug trainer continued thoroughly feeling her up over her clothes.

He alternated between running his eager, practiced hands along the fleshy expanse of her thighs, hips, and the supple mounds of her bottom, as if he were memorizing the feel of them. While Moon was small in stature, she was all woman. Her petite frame suffered no lack of tantalizing curves, and it was clear that Guzma was taking great enjoyment in exploring each and every one he'd been granted access to as she squirmed nervously in his lap.

The female trainer hid her beet-red face within the crook of his neck, doing her best to bite back the strange sounds bubbling up from her throat. His scent was even stronger there, she found, and the new position left her vulnerable to yet another attack.

"Eek!" 

She jumped upon feeling his hot, wet tongue circle the shell of her ear next. Everywhere it traced caused a pleasant tingling and left the cool, damp skin in its wake wanting more. There were so many new sensations intermingling at once that Moon was struggling just to process them all, from the scorching heat of his mouth on her neck to his hands greedily groping her below. The thing that alarmed her the most was how much she was _enjoying_ them all.

Throughout the exchange, Moon would intermittently shift her hips. It wasn't a conscious action on her part; she was too preoccupied further north to be aware of it, but her lower body seemed to be demanding some sort of friction. A particularly firm spot in his lap proved a good solution to this, and so, without thinking, she began pressing her groin to it, grinding against him between their clothes. The peculiar ache in her lower belly still wasn't quite satisfied, but she enjoyed the pleasant sensation the pressure caused while he continued to explore her mouth. It was if he'd put her in a trance, and she had no idea how much time had passed when she heard him speak again.

"Fuck, I wanna mess you up so bad," he murmured huskily, his hot breath intermingling with her own and hungry grey eyes that promised to make good on that wish locked unwavering onto her hooded blue ones. Moon nearly lost herself in the moment. Her nerves and baser instincts clashed with one another as she stood on the precipice of letting him devour her, but nerves finally just barely won out when she felt his hand begin to slide beneath her shirt, making contact with the bare skin of her side.

"OHOHO _KAY_ THEN! That's, um... Yeah..." the flustered trainer finally proclaimed with an awkward laugh, using his chest as leverage to finally push herself away.

"Didn't like it?" Guzma asked teasingly. He could tell from her body language and reactions that she clearly had, but he still wanted to hear it for himself.

Moon fidgeted again, but froze when the action made her once again aware of the ever-growing bulge in the ex Skull leader's pants. Diverting her nervous energy to her hands, she pulled her hair over her face, hiding her expression as she squeaked out her response. "I did. Very much so."

The reply earned a triumphant smirk, but she was still disappointed in herself. While he'd taken it well, she could quite literally feel how eager Guzma was, and denying him in that state left her with a nagging sense of guilt.

"I'm sorry. I know it's not fair of me to do this..."

Her apology was immediately met with a large hand resting atop her head and giving her hair a playful tousle.

"Nah. Girlie, whether you wanna stop at kissin' or call it quits when I'm balls deep, ya boy's cool with it."

Her eyes widened slightly as she looked to the white-haired man. Far from looking disappointed, he was grinning from ear to ear, and Moon felt a sense of relief wash over her. It was a sweet and thoughtful sentiment, albeit expressed in the crudest way possible.

"AGAIN, CAN YOU _**NOT**_ WITH THE VULGARITY?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write more about that lovely, awkward window of time between the confession and when they banged. I think poor Guz was probably bursting at the seams by that point, but he managed to behave himself for the most part... I hope you enjoyed! :D
> 
> Also, I promise there will be some full/proper lemons mixed in with these eventually! I'm actually working on one now. :B


End file.
